Sworn Off Love
by GirlishlyGreek
Summary: Annabeth is a famous supermodel who swore to never love again. Percy is the leader of the most feared gang in the nation, The Olympians. He too, swore to never love again. When the two meet and get wrapped up in a problem more dangerous than they can imagine, what will happen? Will they push aside their oath and fall in love? Or will love be the death of them all? Definitely OOC AU
1. Prologue

**Ok, so this is my first fanfiction on here, so I hope you all enjoy it (: Here is Sworn Off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

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 **Prologue: Annabeth's POV:**

Hello, my name is Annabeth Chase. I'm one of America's most famous supermodels, and second-in-command to my Mother's architecture company, Olympus Architecture. I am 22 years old, and I've sworn off loving any man in this world. This is because I've gotten my heart broken not once, but twice. So, ever since my last heartbreak, I swore to never fall in love again. I knew that I would stay true to my word for as long as I lived, but that all changed one fateful day when I was running away from paparazzi and happened to duck into an alley...

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 **Percy's POV:**

Hey, the name's Percy Jackson, son of one of the wealthiest men in the world, Poseidon Jackson. He is one of the owners of Olympus Enterprises, along with his brothers and my uncles, Zeus Grace and Hades Di Angelo. I guess you could say that I'm my Dad's second-in-command to the huge boating company he owns in the Enterprise. Meaning, he practically owns every boat, ship, yacht, ect, in America. But enough about him. I am 23 years old, and the leader to the most dangerous and feared gang in the nation, The Olympians. The catch though is, no one knows that I'm the leader. My gang and I use code names, because if anyone found out about us, that would cause a lot of press and endanger my Dad's and uncle's company. As far as the nation knows, the leader of The Olympians is a guy named Riptide, which is what I go by in my gang. My Father and uncles know about my gang, and they help us out a bit and pay us a lot of money for the crimes we do. They also sometimes send us on missions, which usually involve my gang and I going to kill some other company owner who threatens Olympus Enterprises. Or, something less harmful, like sabotaging their company. If anyone ever finds out too much information about us, we find them and kill them. Oh and one more thing, ever since I got my heart broken by a girl I truly loved and thought she loved me back, I swore to never fall in love again. I allowed myself to date a few and mostly have one night stands, but I left them right after. I was sure I would accomplish this, but it all changed one evening, when two of my gang members and I were strolling the streets of Manhattan, and happened to pass by an alley...

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 **So..? How was it? Good? Bad? Bleh? Please review and give me feedback on it and tell me if you like it or not, it would mean a lot to me if you did! I'm on Spring Break right now, so I'll most likely have time to write more chapters! I hope you enjoyed this prologue, and sorry for making Percy's so long XD There was just a lot of info about him I thought you guys should know to understand the story (:**

 **~Kat**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Kat here, and I read all your reviews to my prologue and I would like to thank all of you for the nice comments! It means a lot to me, considering I just joined Fanfiction Net. Here is Chapter 1 to Sworn off Love, I hope you enjoy it:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

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 **Annabeth's POV:**

 _Click, click, click!_

I turned my head to see a horde of paparazzi running after me, cameras flashing blindedly. _Ugh, what the hell? I thought I just lost them!_

It had been a nice Saturday evening. I had just gone shopping and was carrying loads of bags. I decided to just walk back to the penthouse I was currently staying in since the evening was so nice. Yeah, bad idea. As soon as I had gotten out of the mall, a huge crowd of paparazzi started chasing after me. I managed to escape them, which was not easy with my 5 inched wedged boots. But with my luck, they were back not even five minutes later.

I looked around frantically, trying to find where to hide. Finally, I spotted a dark alley and ducked into it. Not a smart choice, but can you blame me? You try running away from hella-crazy people always flashing lights in your eyes. Even that can make you do the most stupidest things.

When I thought the coast was clear, I was about to take a step forward when a pair of rough hands snaked tightly around my waist from behind.

"Well, well," a rusty voice chuckled darkly. "What is such a pretty lady doing in a dark place like this?"

I stood frozen in fear as the man's hands slid up my waist and stomach, finally resting on my shoulder. When it landed there, I quickly dropped my bags, grabbed the guy's hand and flipped him over my shoulder, making him crash to the ground with a painful thud.

"Shit!" He groaned, his hand cradling the arm he landed on. I kicked him in the ribs and wasted no time in running farther down the alley, desperate to get out of there. I had only run about 10 feet when someone slammed me into a wall.

"Hold on there sweetheart. You're not going anywhere until I have a little fun with you first," said a man, but his voice wasn't like the other guy who grabbed me first. This man's voice sounded younger, not so rusty and old.

This man pinned me against the wall by my wrists and started kissing me roughly.

 _No no no, please no. Not again._ Panic started rising up my chest, and I felt a sudden urge to throw up. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, threatening to burst out. Dark memories flashed in my mind. I could vividly see all the crying, screaming, and forced actions that ruined my life.

He grabbed both of my wrists with one hand, the other one starting to creep up my gray crop top. I squirmed and thrashed as he started kissing up my neck. But I didn't feel any pleasure or lust from that; I felt pure fear.

"Help! Someone! Please! Get this bastard off of me!" I pleaded, praying that someone would come and help me. Tears streamed down my face. They were thick and heavy, and seemed to make my face weigh five more pounds.

"Shut up!" The man growled, pressing me against the wall even harder.

I winced in agony from all the pressure, and I felt almost as if my shoulder bone was going to crack.

His free hand was just starting to lift up my shirt when I felt someone yank him off me.

I saw him being thrown to the ground by a tall man. He was wearing a leather jacket, faded dark jeans, black Adidas, and a sea green and black bandana wrapped around his messy black hair.

My savior kicked the other guy in the ribs hard, and I could practically hear some of them snapping like twigs. I winced, thinking about how painful that must've been. Two other men appeared out of the shadows, and I was afraid they were here to help the bastard that harassed me. Instead, they each grabbed one of his arms and yanked him up like a rag doll.

The man with the bandana punched him twice in the face, then the stomach, and then as a final touch; kicked him where any guy would go limp.

The two other guys held him in place while my harasser was soon bleeding everywhere. I stood there, frozen as I watched this. My heart felt as if it would leap out of my chest from fear. My knees were weak and I could feel myself go numb. I wanted to do something, but I felt as if my whole body had completely shut down and I couldn't do anything but watch.

Then, the man with the bandana pulled out something from his back pocket; a gun. I would've fainted, but my body wouldn't respond to anything, completely powerless.

"Pretty soon your little rapist-in-crime is going to join you in hell. Anything to say?" The man with the gun questioned furiously, pointing the gun to my harasser's forehead.

"I hope you rot in hell and your daddy's business goes bankrupt-" the guy didn't finish his sentence because the other man pulled the trigger.

The man's head immediately slumped forward and his whole body seemed to go limp. The two others who were holding him dropped him to the floor like a lifeless dummy, and the man lay there in a puddle of blood.

"What about the other guy, Riptide?" One of them asked. I felt as if a jolt of electricity shoot through me, wakening up my senses and thoughts. That name... I've heard it before, but I can't remember from where.

"I think you should do the honors of sending him off to hell, Storm," requested the man, "Riptide," I presume.

"Gladly," replied the other guy, moving closer to the man who had harassed me first, who was now tied up and propped up against the wall in front of me. He punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach a few times. A minute later, he pulled out something from his back pocket; a gun, _oh joy!_

He pressed it against the guy's forehead, who was pleading and begging like a little child whose parents didn't buy the toy he wanted. "This is payback for trying to rape my girlfriend you prick," he spat angrily. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see another person get killed, even if they deserved it.

A loud bang echoed through the alley, and the man's pleading stopped. I opened me eyes, breathing out a sigh that I hadn't realized was being kept in. But that didn't mean I wasn't any less scared.

After I sighed, the guy with the bandana, Riptide, turned to look at me. I took a sharp breath, finally realizing who these people were. I quickly took a few steps back, only to crash into the ice cold wall behind me. My mind was racing and I started getting vertigo, feeling heavily light-headed. I couldn't take it anymore, so many thoughts were rushing through my head, and the world was spinning crazily. The next thing I knew, I dropped to the floor.

The last thing thing I saw was a man's sea green eyes looked down at me, concern flooding through them, and then everything went black.

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 **So how was that for chapter 1? Please share your thoughts, comments, and suggestions! I would really appreciate it (: I hope you liked this chapter, I will continue making more if you guys want me to :D**

 **~Kat**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey my lovely readers! So, sorry that the last chapter was so short, just letting you guys know that the chapters will vary in length, but the first ones might be short because the story is just starting and won't have as much action. But they will get longer, I promise.**

 **So without further ado, here is Chapter 2 to Sworn off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my ideas, I do not own PJO, even if I wish I did.**

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 **Percy's POV:**

"Man, where the fuck are these idiots?" Complained Jason angrily, his bright blue eyes unusually dark with anger.

"Dude chill. I wanna stick my foot up their asses too, but we've got to be patient. Don't worry, we'll find them," I reassured him.

"Yeah man," Leo nudged him in the shoulder and smirked. "And when we do find them, you can gladly kick both their asses to Kentucky."

Jason still looked tense and pissed off, but he seemed to relax a bit more.

Leo, Jason, and I were strolling the streets of Manhattan, trying to find these two assholes by the names of Robby and Dan. One of my gang members, Piper McLean, who is also Jason's girlfriend, was heading back to our headquarters, when they pushed her into an alley and tried to rape her. Luckily, Piper's an experienced fighter and I have gang members and spies all over the nation. So, one of my other members; Hazel Levesque, had gotten there just in time to help Piper. Unfortunately, the two bastards escaped. Now, my members and I have been trying to locate them and kill them for days.

Leo, being the idiot he is, kept trying to lighten up Jason's mood by making some stupid jokes. Leo is half Hispanic, has curly black hair, and brown eyes that always seem to glint with mischief. He has a devilish grin that would make teachers yell, "Don't you dare!" Before he even did anything. He's 22 years old, and is sorta short for his age.

Jason is also 22 years old, and he's my cousin. He's half an inch shorter than me, has tamed, short blonde hair, and electric blue eyes. He has a warm smile that would make most girls swoon, and has this regal aura about him. He's very trustworthy, which is why I made him my second-in-command in my gang.

Leo continued making stupid jokes and remarks about random people on the street, while Jason just stood there smirking. I wasn't really paying attention though. I was busy staring at this blonde that was on the other side of the street. She had like, ten bags in each hand, and looked slightly familiar, as if I'd seen her somewhere before. She kept looking around a lot, as if expecting someone to jump out of nowhere and scare her.

She was good-looking, with blonde hair curled to perfection, a perfect tan, nice long legs, an athletic body, and curves that would make any guy drool at the sight of her. She was wearing a gray crop top, high waisted black shorts, and black knee-high wedged boots.

"Damn, she's hot," Leo commented beside me. He and Jason were also looking at the blonde. Leo grinned and nudged me playfully, a habit he has when he's about to say some retarded joke. "Thinking about getting laid, Perce? She seems like a good opportunity to do so."

I glared at him. "Shut the fuck up, Leo."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, all I'm saying is that you should get going with the whole relationship shit again. I mean, how long have you gone without being in a serious relationship? A year?"

I winced at the memories and wished Leo would shut up. I glared at him again. "Oh yeah? You're giving me relationship advice? If anyone needs it, it's you. You've been crushing on Reyna ever since we met her, which was like, 2 years ago, and you still don't have the balls to ask her out. The only thing you ever do is mumble her name in your sleep," I shot back. Jason stifled a laugh while Leo glared daggers at me, all the while turning beet red. I smirked, knowing I had won.

Suddenly, Jason looked in the direction where the blonde was and his eyes widened. He then pointed in her direction. I furrowed my eyes in confusion at his actions and looked to where he was pointing. I froze in place, my jaw going slack. A huge mob of paparazzi were headed her way, screaming and pointing at her, cameras flashing like there was no tomorrow. The blonde quickly looked around and ducked into a nearby alley. Somehow, the paparazzi didn't see this, so they kept on walking, clearly disappointed that they couldn't find her again.

The guys and I stood there, looking at the alley, wondering who she was that would cause so much attention. Then again, she did look familiar. Was she an actress? Singer? Dancer? I racked my brain for possibilities but was cut short when the blonde poked her head out of the alley. She looked as if she was about to take a step when two arms slid around her waist and pulled her back harshly into the alley.

Instantly, Jason, Leo, and I raced towards the alley. We were probably all thinking the same thing; this was either Robby or Dan. When we got there, we saw the blonde judo-flip the guy and kick him in the ribs, then run farther into the alley.

"Damn," Leo breathed out. "Sexy and can fight." I rolled my eyes at his comment, but then noticed that I could no longer see her figure.

I started walking down the alley, but it was hard to see since the place was pitch black. I walked up to the guy who had grabbed the blonde. My eyes widened and anger coursed through my body. It was him, Robby. But where the hell was Dan?

"Storm, Flame," I beckoned Jason and Leo over, calling them by their code names. When Jason saw who it was, his eyes took on a glint of murderous rage. He looked over at me, his eyes asking for permission to beat him up. I nodded, and Jason immediately kicked the guy in the ribs. Robby groaned in pain, but I smiled. This is what he deserved.

While Jason continued his administrations, I heard a faint feminine cry a little farther down the alley. My eyes widened, realization flooding through me. It was probably the blonde crying for help. I snapped my fingers and pointed to Robby.

"Tie him up, we'll get back to him later. I think Dan's down that way. When you've tied him up, follow me and bring him too," I ordered. Jason and Leo both nodded in agreement, and I quickly turned and ran down the alley. I squinted, frustrated that it was so dark, but was fairly used to being in dark alleys.

I heard someone a loud bang behind me, followed by a groan. I rolled my eyes, knowing that only Leo would be clumsy enough to trip over something. The cries for help were getting louder, and I immediately started walking more quietly and leisuresly.

 _Is the blonde still ok? What if it isn't even Dan? No, it has to be. If Robby was here, then so is he._ These thoughts ran through my mind as I crept closer to the sound of the noises. Suddenly I stopped, my eyes widening in disbelief.

The blonde from earlier was being pressed against the wall, roughly, may I add, and kissed by Dan, who I recognized from his shaggy brown hair and scar running down his left arm from when Hazel managed to cut him. The blonde's face was twisted in agony, from which I was guessing by how hard Dan was pressing against her. Dan continued kissing down her neck, now lifting up her shirt.

Murderous rage surged through me, making my fists shake and forcing me to clench and unclench them. No way was I letting him do this to her. No way was I letting him get his way with another woman again. My blood pounded in my veins, now only one word running through my mind; _ki_ _ll._

I ran towards Dan and yanked him off the girl, throwing him to the ground like a rag doll. I kicked him in the ribs. _Hard._ Dan groaned in agony and pain, his hand clutching the side of his stomach.

Right then, Jason and Leo emerged from behind Dan. If looks could kill, Dan would already be dead. They both grabbed one of Dan's arms and yanked him up forcefully. I walked up to him and punched him in the face twice, making his nose bleed thoroughly. I punched him in the stomach, and for good measure, kicked him in the balls. Well, his sex days are over now.

I reached behind me and pulled out my gun. "Pretty soon, your little rapist-in-crime is going to join you in hell. Anything to say?" I asked furiously, pointing the gun to his forehead.

Despite being in pain and bleeding all over the place, he threw on a shitty smirk, and I had to restrain myself from killing him right then and there.

"I hope you rot in hell and your daddy's business goes bankrupt-" I pulled the trigger, a loud bang resonating through the alley, cutting off whatever else he had to say. My jaw clenched, and I glared at his bloody face.

Jason and Leo dropped him to the floor, letting him lay in his pool of blood. "What about the other guy, Riptide?" Jason asked. I knew he was itching to pull out his gun and kill Robby too, but he knew better than to do things without my orders.

I smiled cockily. "I think you should do the honors of sending him off to hell, Storm."

Jason grinned dryly. "Gladly." He moved closer to Robby, who was propped up against the wall with his hands bound behind him. Jason punched him in the face, letting a sickening crack come after he removed his hands, letting me know that Robby had now lost his two front teeth. Oh well. Jason began kicking him in the stomach, probably breaking every single rib in Robby's body. Jason then pulled out his gun from behind him, pressing it against Robby's forehead.

Robby was pleading for mercy, just another voice among the others that this has happened to, begging for the same thing; the chance to live. That wish wasn't going to come true now.

"This is payback for trying to rape my girlfriend, you prick," Jason spat angrily.

"No, no, no. Please, I beg you. I'll never try to rape anyone ever again-" Jason pulled the trigger, and Robby's pleading stopped.

I was so in tune with what was happening, I had forgotten about the woman. I turned around to see if she was still there, or if she had been smart about it and decided to run from this bloody scene. But to my surprise and somehow relief, she was still there. Her eyes were wide in fear, her face as white as paper. She took a sharp breath and stepped back, only to crash into the wall behind her. She looked disoriented, and in about three seconds, she fell to the ground.

Immediately, I ran over to her side, crouching down to be at level with her. She opened her eyes one last time, and my breath caught in my throat. Her eyes... They were a beautiful stormy gray, but they seemed to be duller and glassy looking. She looked into my eyes, sea green on gray, and then shut them closed.

"Storm, call Thunder Huntress and tell her to bring the helicopter," I commanded. His eyes narrowed warily, but he nodded, quickly whipping out his phone and dialing Thalia, his sister and my cousin.

I checked the girl's pulse, and after about 5 seconds, I breathed a sigh of relief. Her pulse was still running normally, suggesting she might've just fainted from fear.

 _Wait, why do I care if she's okay or not? I could just leave her here and not have to worry about her._ But for some reason, I felt a strong need to bring her back to headquarters, where she'd be safe. I haven't done that in almost a year, and the last time I did, it was for a girl I fell in love with, only to get my heart broken because of her. Dark memories started flooding through me, but I shook my head, not wanting to remember the events from that day. I shut my eyes tightly, as if doing so would make the memories go away. I can't think about her right now. She's gone. She left me like I was nothing. I shouldn't be thinking about her.

I opened my eyes and looked down at the girl in concern. What if what happened to me last time happens again?

 _No you idiot,_ another voice in my head chided. _All you're going to do is help her before she wakes up, then send her back to her normal life._

I nodded my head in agreement. Yeah, that's all I'm going to do. Help her, then send her back.

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If I only knew that this plan, would lead to a whole other chain of events that would change my life.

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But for some reason, I still felt as if this girl was important, like I _had_ to bring her to HQ.

I shrugged off the feeling as Leo came over and crouched down next to me. He was quiet for a moment, examining the girl's face. Soon, he let out a squeak of surprise. I looked at him, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion from what would cause a reaction like this out of him.

"Holy shit," he breathed out, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What?" I asked, still confused by his antics. Was there something wrong with her?

He looked at me, disbelief still etched over his face. He then rolled his eyes, knowing that I was oblivious to who this was.

"Dude! You actually don't know who this is?"

I shook my head, racking my brain for answers even though I knew it was useless. She did look familiar, but I still couldn't put my finger on who she might be.

"Fuck, man, this is Annabeth Chase! The hottest supermodel to walk this planet! How could you not recognize her?" He informed me, his eyes taking on an excited gleam.

I looked back at the girl, examining her features once more, and I soon felt my heart and breathing stop. Shit... he was right.

The princess curls, stunning gray eyes, nice body, and perfect features. They've been cast on almost every magazine in America.

"Are you sure you wanna take her back to the house? Cause, last time you did something like this..." His words died when he noticed my expression.

I sighed. "Dude, nothing's gonna happen. All we're going to do is help her, then send her back to her normal life." I explained slowly. He held up his hands and opened his mouth to say something, but the loud whirring of helicopter blades cut off whatever he was going to say.

I looked up and grinned when I saw the familiar black helicopter with an electric blue lighting bolt etched in the side of it. Thalia poked her head out of the side, and smirked.

"Yo, losers! Who needs a lift?" She shouted, grinning. I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"Shut up and throw down the ladder, Pinecone Face!" I yelled, cupping my hands over my mouth like a megaphone.

Thalia stuck out her tongue at me for the use of her nickname, and then mock saluted me.

I looked at Leo. "You know what to do."

He nodded, got up and pulled a simple lighter out of his pocket, but his eyes gleamed mischievously. You'd be surprised what Leo could do with a tiny lighter. He then proceeded on walking over to Dan and Robby, whose bodies were now propped up together thanks to Jason.

Leo put the lighter in front of both of them, lit up a flame, and then blew on it. Somehow, by doing just this, he manages to create a huge flame, encasing both Robby and Dan.

While Leo continued with this, I hauled the blond- I mean, Annabeth, onto my back, making sure she wouldn't slide off. I was surprised at how light she was. I brought her over to the ladder and started climbing up, all the while managing to keep her on my back.

When I finally made it to the top, Thalia opened the door by pushing a button and I climbed in. Thalia sat in front of the control panel, smirking slyly at me. Being the mature adult I am, I stuck my tongue out at her.

Thalia is 23 years old with short, choppy black hair, and electric blue eyes, just like Jason's. Thalia always wears black eyeliner, making her blue eyes pop and intensifying her glare to the max. Already, her glare was bad enough. Thalia has this punkish style and usually wears black clothing, which doesn't help with the glare at all. She doesn't look like the most approachable person but is very protective of her loved ones. Thalia gets pissed of easily, and as far as I know, vowed to never get married or have a boyfriend. So far, she's lived up to that oath.

Thalia is normally an attractive person, which makes it hard for guys not to be able to approach her. Even harder for them when Thalia starts threatening to kill them for staring at her.

Thalia and Jason's dad is Zeus Grace, who has every airline in America under his command. This is why we have access to helicopters, planes, jets, ect. But I would never try to navigate one. Something about it just makes me really nervous.

Thalia jutted out her chin at Annabeth. "Whose Blondie?"

Before I could answer, Leo, who had just come back from finishing his task and had just gotten into the helicopter sighed in exasperation. "What the fuck man? Look at her closely Thals, and examine her every feature," Leo instructed slowly, as if he was talking to a five year old child.

Thalia rolled her eyes, but obliged. Her blue eyes scanned over Annabeth's face, and after about ten seconds, her eyes widened in realization. "Hold the fuck up. Is that Annabeth Chase?"

I nodded.

"And you're bringing her back to the house?"

I nodded again.

Thalia hesitated, no doubt about to ask me, "Are you sure?" And give me all that crap about what happened last time. But instead, she glanced at Annabeth once more and turned back to the control panel.

Thalia could either be the one person you could never depend on, or be the one you could trust. And right now, I was grateful for her not telling me anything about what happened last time. I've known her ever since I was a little kid. When I got my heart broken, everyone had to practically hold her back from trying to kill the girl who broke my heart. But then again, Thalia hates everyone that messes with us.

Jason entered the helicopter, a satisfied smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes, "Happy now?" He nodded his head, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Happy about what?" Thalia asked up front, turning around to give Jason a sisterly pat on the cheek.

"We finally killed Robby and Dan," he responded, grinning triumphantly. Thalia smiled cheekily.

"Finally. Those two bastards deserved to rot in hell a long time ago," she said, scrunching up her nose.

I nodded, then pointed to Annabeth. "She's actually the one who led us to them." I explained what had happened and how we found Robby and Dan.

When I was finished, Thalia just nodded understandingly, her eyes flashing, and turned back to the front, pushing buttons to start up the helicopter for the ride back home.

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After a while, Annabeth stirred slightly, mumbling incoherently and turning the other way. I watched, noticing how her face scrunched up as she slept, her long eyelashes brushing the top of her cheekbones. Thalia noticed me watching her from the rearview mirror, raising an eyebrow, but not commenting on it.

Jason looked at me and motioned to the floor. Beside his feet sat about twenty bags, from which I recognized, were the ones Annabeth had been carrying. I raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.

"You went and grabbed her shopping bags?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured that we didn't know how long she would be staying at HQ and if she stayed there for a couple of days, she'd need a change of clothes."

I nodded and Leo glanced at Annabeth and then at the bags. "Damn, this girl can shop," he reached into the bag and pulled out a gray bra. He smirked deviously.

"Hey Thalia, mind trying this on for me? Then showing me how you look in it?" He asked, winking at her suggestively.

Thalia turned around and glared daggers at him. She grabbed a more than half-filled water bottle and flung it at Leo's face. The impact of the water bottle made Leo yelp in pain and surprise. His hand clutched his nose.

"A simple no would've been fine," he grumbled, looking pointedly at Thalia. Jason laughed but covered it up with a cough. I stifled one myself but bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Thalia grinned cheekily at him from the mirror. "Sorry Leo, but you should know by now that I'm better with actions than words."

Leo grinned, and I already knew he was going to say something else that would make Thalia want to kill him. "So, would the guys that you bring home late at night agree with that statement?" I laughed as Thalia glared at him murderously.

"Listen here, Repair Boy. If you keep up with those stupid comments, I'll make sure that you will _never_ be able to have kids with Reyna ever. Or much less with anyone else," threatened Thalia in a dangerously calm voice.

Leo gulped and nodded. Satisfied, Thalia turned back to the control panel and started navigating us back home.

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 **So.. what did you guys think of this chapter? Good? Bad? What do you think will happen next? And I also made this one longer since I probably won't have time to write another chapter tomorrow or Sunday due to Easter preparations. Also, I wanted to ask you guys of a good code name to use for Reyna because I'm having trouble thinking of one... If u have an idea, please comment! Thank you all so much (: I read all reviews and they mean so much to me. Comment any suggestions, thoughts, opinions... (:**

 **~Kat**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello there, my lovely readers! I want to thank you all for the reviews you guys gave me! When I was reading them, I was literally just sitting there, grinning like an idiot XD my face started hurting.. XD I'm glad-no, beyond happy to hear so many of you enjoying this story and telling me to continue writing it! :D**

 **To Cinder Luna: Thank you for your suggestion about the code name for Reyna! (: I really like it, and I'm probably going to use it :D**

 **So, what you've all been waiting for, (not really but ok XD) chapter 3 to Sworn Off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own PJO ):**

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 **Annabeth's POV:**

I woke up, dazed, drowsy, and my mind not fully comprehending my thought process. Something had happened to me... it involved an alley... and something, or someone else.. but I can't remember what actually happened. I turned my head sideways, and the first thing I noticed was that I was 400 ft in the air.

I gasped, my thoughts finally collecting themselves and my mind sharp and fully awake. I did the first thing any girl would do when they're in an unfamiliar place without knowing how they got there.

I screamed.

Whatever I was in lurched sideways a bit, not helping my case at all and just making me scream louder.

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down!" A male voice hushed beside me.

Alarmed and scared, I turned in the direction of the voice and punched whoever was next to me in the stomach. The man groaned in pain, and I felt a wave of satisfaction cross over me, but just as it had gotten there, it disappeared, fear taking over my body all over again.

I looked to my left and noticed 3 men sitting there. One had blonde hair, the other had curly black, and the one I assumed I had punched had messy jet black hair.

The one with the raven hair was hunched over, groaning, while the other two were laughing wildly.

"Man! A girl that can punch Percy and actually make him groan in pain? I love her already!" The one with curly black hair laughed.

"Wh-where am I?" I panicked, looking around. The one driving this thing turned around, looked at me, and smiled. She had jet black hair and piercing electric blue eyes that made me want to squirm under her gaze.

"Hi, my name's Thalia Grace. The scrawny looking guy over there is Leo Valdez-" this earned a complain from him, "the blonde guy right there is my brother Jason. And the one you oh-so-amazingly punched is my cousin, Percy Jackson," she informed me, her eyes gleaming.

My eyes widened. Grace and Jackson... Aren't those the last names of two of the owners of Olympus Enterprises?

Thalia looked at me, recognizing my expression, and smiled knowingly. "Yep, Jason, Percy and I's Dad's are the owners of Olympus Enterprises, if that's what you were thinking," she affirmed. "Oh, and to answer your question from before, you are in our helicopter."

I nodded, completely unfazed by this. I travel all over America for photo shoots, and usually travel by airplane or jet. A helicopter was no different.

I glanced at the guy I had just punched, Percy, who had now composed himself and had an amused look on his face, and I immediately felt guilty. "I'm so sorry for punching you. I guess I panicked when I heard you speak and thought you were one of the guys who harassed me..." My voice trailed off. That's right, I was harassed by two men.. but the memories are still a little fuzzy.

Percy shrugged nonchalantly and gave me a dazzling smile. "No problem, I understand." He reassured me. I noticed both Leo and Jason roll their eyes, but I didn't comment on it.

"Wait... What happened to them? I mean, the guys who harassed me earlier?" I questioned, hating not remembering a thing.

Percy and the guys shared a look, as if they knew something I didn't and did not want to share it.

"Umm...they left?" Jason said, though it sounded more like a question. I narrowed my eyes, wanting him to tell me more, not fully convinced with his response.

My mind was still a little dazed, but I vaguely remembered a bandana, sea green eyes, and black hair, before I passed out.

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying hard to remember what happened. I had been chased by paparazzi and had ducked into an alley. Then one man grabbed me but I managed to escape. Then another man showed up and pushed me against the wall, sexually harassing me. Then a guy with messy black hair, leather jacket, and a bandana saved me and killed the guy. Two others showed up and one called him Riptide-the name of the leader of The Olympians, the nation's most dangerous gang.

I glanced at Percy, and I felt my heart completely stop. He was wearing a leather jacket, a sea green and black bandana, and had unruly black hair.

He looked over at me, smiling, but his smile wavered when he noticed my expression. "Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." He joked, but I didn't laugh.

I was terrified, thinking of all the things Riptide and his gang have done to innocent people, and even though I knew the answer, I asked anyway, dreading the response that might come from him.

"A-are you Riptide? Leader of The Olympians?"

His eyes widened and panic flashed through them, and I knew that the answer I kept pleading not to hear, was the one. Percy glanced at Jason and Leo, whose jaws went slack.

"Um, what makes you say that?" Thalia asked up front, nervousness filling her voice.

I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to see their expressions any longer, because all it did was fill me with dread. "Because when I was getting harassed a second time, a man with messy black hair, bandana, leather jacket, and sea green eyes came and killed the guy. Two other men appeared and called him Riptide, which from what I've heard is the name of the leader of The Olympians," I answered, my voice wavering throughout my whole response.

Dead silence filled the helicopter, forcing me to open my eyes. I looked at Percy, who has his face covered by his hands, and his elbows propped up on his knees.

"Is it true?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Percy finally lifted his head and then looked at me, his sea green eyes filled with sadness.

Finally, he nodded reluctantly. "The problem is, Miss Chase," he began, his tone making my level of fear rise to a hundred. "When someone finds out about who the members of my gang are, we have to kill them."

"W-what?" I whispered. No. This can't be. I have my life already planned out. My career. My family, or what's left of it anyway. Anger bubbled inside of me, replacing my fear. I looked at Percy straight in the eyes, my eyes hardening and turning into a steely gray.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I seethed, noticing Percy's expression change from sadness to surprise. "You save me, then tell me you have to kill me?! What the hell is wrong with you? If this was going to happen, you could've just left me in that alley to rot!"

The helicopter went silent again, and Percy continued looking at me, not breaking eye contact, with his eyebrows raised and mouth shaped like a perfect O.

"Can't you just let me go? I promise not to say anything. I'll forget any of this ever happened. Please." I tried reasoning, my voice deadly calm.

Percy sighed, clearly unsure of what to do. He glanced over at Thalia, who was staring at him through the rearview mirror. They seemed to have a silent conversation, until Percy finally broke eye contact and glanced back at me.

"Listen, here's what's going to happen, Miss Chase. We're going to take you back to our house, where some of my other gang members are at. I'll talk to them, and we'll see what happens. Deal?"

I thought this over. Should I even trust these people? They're ruthless criminals who just like to kill people, commit crimes, and break laws every day.

But they saved you.

Another voice in my head tried reasoning.

They could've just left you there, but they saved you.

Fair point.

I sighed in defeat, and glanced at Percy, who was staring at me expectantly. "Fine," I concluded, leaning against the seat of the helicopter.

Percy grinned. "Oh but um, you'll have to wear this," he took off his bandana and held it out to me. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Why would I need this?

Percy seemed to have read my expression, because he quickly explained, "Cause our house is located somewhere secret and private, you'll have to be blindfolded." I rolled my eyes, but obliged, tying the bandana across my eyes and around my head.

Immediately, my nose was filled with an oceany scent. It was intoxicating, and oddly relaxing.

Seeing nothing better to do, I leaned my head against the window, the whirring of the helicopter blades and ocean scent lulling me to sleep...

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

"All right, Sleeping Beauty, we're here." I shook my shoulder and whispered to Annabeth, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on my shoulder.

The whole ride home was filled with uncomfortable silence and whispers. The whole ride here, I couldn't help feeling guilty. That feeling made me confused. Normally, when people find out about us, I kill them without feeling anything at all. But Annabeth's words stung, as if each word she said, she threw a dagger straight at me. But all Annabeth's made me feel since we met her is confused, which is a feeling I do not appreciate.

 _'Did you see the way she flipped Robby?'_  
 _'Her fast reflexes? Her quick thinking?'_  
 _'And did you see how fast and hard she punched Percy?'_  
 _'And you've gotta admit, the girl's pretty smart.'_  
 _'We could use someone like her.'_

Thalia, Jason, and Leo's words echoed through my head. After Annabeth had fallen asleep, we began discussing our situation and how to solve it.

 _'I like her. She's smart, can defend herself, and has a way with words',_ Thalia had said. This surprised me. She usually didn't take a liking in people we just met right away. She was usually weary of them and never said she liked them right away. Even Jason and Leo had said that they liked the girl.

But can she handle and survive everything we do? I'd asked. They had remained silent after that, and the conversation ended there.

Annabeth lifted her head and groaned. She brought up her hands to remove her blindfold but stopped midway. "Can I take it off now?"

I laughed and she smiled sheepishly. Wow, her mood changes very quickly- should keep that in mind. "Yes, you may."

Annabeth nodded and removed the blindfold, revealing her beautiful gray ey- _Focus,_ I chided myself, clenching my jaw tight.

She looked outside the window and drew in a quick breath. Thalia had landed in the meadow in front of our house. The meadow was truly beautiful and would take anyone's breath away. The grass was a vibrant, healthy looking green, cut neatly thanks to Leo's lawn mower machine he built. Trees surrounded the meadow, casting shadows across the place. A beautiful clear blue stream ran across the meadow a few feet in front of the house. Bright, exotic flowers were displayed all over the place, courtesy of my other gang member; Katie Gardner.

Our house looked like a simple, colonial styled house, but it was actually as huge as a mansion inside. It was painted a nice sky blue, with a nice wooden precision door in the front.

I glanced at Annabeth, whose gray eyes sparkled in amazement. I smiled, opening up the door of the helicopter and stepped out. Jason and Leo soon followed, and when Annabeth was about to climb out, Leo gallantly held out his hand for Annabeth to take.

I noticed Annabeth stiffen, and her face turned pale, but just as quickly as that appeared, it disappeared, replaced by her rolling her eyes, but taking his hand anyway, saying, "Thank you, kind man."

"I take tips, you know," Leo responded, wiggling his eyebrows. Annabeth rolled her eyes once again and smacked his arm.

Leo yelped and immediately cradled his arm. "Damn it! You hit hard!" He rubbed his arm and changed his expression to mock hurt.

Annabeth laughed, a sound that brought a smile to my face. "Thanks, I get that a lot. From guys especially," she grinned cheekily. Leo raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Jason snapped his fingers and ducked into the helicopter again. A few seconds later, he brought out Annabeth's shopping bags.

She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, a smirk sliding onto her face. "You actually brought those?"

Jason grinned and shrugged. "Thought you might need them. We can't have our supermodel without clothes now can we?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, a habit I've noticed from her lately.

"Come on guys, everyone's probably waiting for us." I said, beckoning Annabeth to follow me. She shrugged and obliged, leaving Jason to carry her bags inside the house. I held out my elbow towards her, "Shall we?"

Annabeth's eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself. "No, thanks. I'm taking a break from guy courtesy for a while." And with that she began walking towards the house. After saying that, I thought I heard her mumble to herself, "and for the rest of my life," but I kept quiet.

Shrugging, I jogged to catch up with her. Behind me, I heard Jason curse and groan. "Shit! What does she have in here? Bricks?" I rolled my eyes, thinking that he was just exaggerating, suggesting that he's been spending too much time with our other cousin, Bianca.

I finally caught up to Annabeth, who smiled at me, making my heart race. 'What the hell?' I thought inwardly, 'Stop that!' Annabeth's smile washed off her face for a second, but she quickly plastered it back on, letting me know that it was strained. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but was worried that she might get mad for being nosy, so I kept my mouth shut.

Annabeth looked down at the grass and breathed in deeply, then stared at the trees intently. "We're far from the city aren't we?" She asked absentmindedly. My eyes widened, startled that she had figured that out just by looking at trees and smelling the air and grass.

"Yeah... How'd you know that?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Well, the air smells really clean, the grass looks more healthy than it would if we were near the cities, and the trees also look more healthy, suggesting that cars aren't passing by to get to the city." She explained immediately.

I raised an eyebrow, impressed that she observed all of this.

Annabeth noticed my expression and smiled. "I bet you can already tell that I like to observe things. When I meet people, I make sure to look them on the eyes when I'm speaking to them. This is if I notice their expression change when I do a certain thing, so I already know what they're comfortable and uncomfortable with."

"Wow, impressive." I noted, and smiled at her.

She grinned back at me, but again, her smile seemed to disappear in a flash, but came back just as fast.

Whats up with that?

I shrugged any comment off just as we reached the door. I grabbed my keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

When the door was fully open, Annabeth gasped.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Percy unlocked the door, and swing it open. When I saw the inside, I gasped.

It was... Huge.

There was a sleek black grand staircase in the middle of the entryway. Two long hallways fanned out from each side of the staircase, making the place look bigger than it already was. A huge chandelier hang from the dome shaped ceiling, which had a nice sky view in the top, lighting up the room. A polished marble floor illuminated every detail of the entrance even more. The walls were painted a nice creamy white, and long columns hung down from the upper level of the house. A simple yet fancy round black table sat in the middle of the room, decorated with a bouquet full of exotic looking flowers.

"Oh my... It's gorgeous," I breathed, taking in every detail of the entrance. "How-how is it so big in here yet looks so small from the outside?" I questioned, moving to one of the columns and stroking it absentmindedly. It felt cool and smooth under my touch, making me feel relaxed. All my worries faded away as I devoured the details and structure of the house with my sight.

I heard the sound of Percy walking closer to me, the sounds of his footsteps echoing through the silent house. I glanced at him, noticing him grinning cockily.

"That," he said, pointing at me, "is a secret."

I frowned, part of me wanting to find out.

My thoughts were interrupted as the front door was hurled open, and in came Jason, hauling my shopping bags behind him. Leo soon followed, his face red from laughter, which still hadn't subsided. Jason growled and dropped the bags, walking over to Leo and punched him in the stomach. Leo doubled over, still laughing.

Only then did I notice that Jason was soaking wet. I turned my head to look at Percy, who had an amused look on his face. "What happened?"

Jason pointed a finger towards Leo, who was rolling on the floor, howling with laughter. "This dumbass pushed me into the river while I was trying to bring Annabeth's bags into the house," he snapped, glaring daggers at Leo.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at his frazzled and angry expression. Percy raised an eyebrow and snorted, shaking his head.

I walked over to Jason and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Thanks for bringing me my bags, I appreciate it." I smiled at him.

He smiled back and shrugged. "It's no problem, Miss Chase. But I would've appreciated some help," he said, still staring pointedly at Leo.

"Oh hey guys! You're back alrea-Jason, why are you so wet?"

I turned around to see a beautiful girl walking down the hall. She had choppy brown hair, braided with feathers, kaleidoscope eyes that couldn't seem to decide whether to be blue, green, or brown. She had coppery skin that stood out because of the feathers, a nice athletic figure, and nicely toned arms and legs. She was wearing a white blouse, denim shorts, and white vans.

She looked at Jason with an amused smile and a glint in her eyes that anyone would recognized as love.

I looked at Jason, startled at how quickly his demeanor had changed. He now looked extremely happy and had a love struck grin on his face.

He strolled over to the girl, who looked slightly familiar to me, and picked her up, planting a firm kiss on her mouth. She gladly returned it. My heart ached at the sight of this, knowing that I would no longer be able to love someone ever again, but I pushed the feelings aside. I can't be thinking about love right now. There are more life threatening things to worry about.

When he set her back down, he gestured towards me. "Piper, I'd like you to meet-"

" _Annabeth Chase?_ " Said the girl, her voice incredulous and surprised. She ran over to me and encased me with a bone crushing hug. "Annabeth! It's me Piper! Daughter of Aphrodite McLean!"

My eyes widened in realization. Aphrodite McLean was one of my colleagues that I usually worked with in the modeling agency. She was at least forty-seomthing, but still managed to look in her twenties. How? I don't even know. That woman has like, superpowers or something. I vaguely remember meeting one of her daughters. She and I had hit it off pretty well and started hanging out a lot after that. We lost contact though, after I had accidentally dropped my phone into the toilet.

I grinned and hugged her again, glad to see a familiar face. Jason looked stunned and confused. "So, I see you two have met before?"

"Yeah! My mom sometimes met up with Annabeth to take some photos. Soon we were introduced and hit it off pretty well. But we seemed to have lost contact.." she looked at me questioningly.

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that, I accidentally dropped my phone into the toilet and lost all my contacts."

Piper just smiled, but soon took on a look of confusion and then panic. "Wait... What are you doing here? When we bring people here we usually have to..." She trailed off, looking at Jason with wide eyes.

Percy cleared his throat, and I noticed that he and Leo were no longer laughing. They both had serious expressions on their faces.

"Um Piper, could you please find Annabeth a room to stay in the meantime? Then come down to HQ, we have some things to discuss." Percy instructed.

Piper looked at me with a look of pity; the way someone would look at a homeless puppy. This just made me nervous all over again. Discuss what?

"Come on Annabeth, follow me."

She began heading up the stairs and I followed soon after. When we reached the top, we were faced by 3 long hallways. She took the one in the right and I pursued after her. There had to be at least 8 rooms in just that hallway, and I began to wonder how many there were in the whole house.

We reached the end of the hall and Piper turned left, silent the whole time. I was ok with the silence, because I was sure that if she told me anything, it wouldn't make me feel any better.

After rounding the corner, she stopped in front of one of the bedrooms. She pushed open the door and stepped inside of a master bedroom. It was spacious, and looked unused but very clean. The walls were painted a misty gray, with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A queen sized canopy bed sat in the middle of the room. The curtains of the bed were a creamy white, while the bed sheets were a silvery gray. A dark gray loveseat was positioned in front of the bed. A silver rug was laid out under the bed, over the black wooden floor.

"Wow," I breathed. Piper smiled. She walked over to another door and opened it, revealing a big bathroom with a bathtub and shower. "You can take a shower in here, and the towels are in the cabinet under the sink." She informed me.

"Uh, I forgot my bags downstairs, and I'm pretty sure that if I went looking for them, I'd get lost." I admitted jokingly. Piper laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll send Jason to bring them back up here."

I smiled, knowing that Jason might not be to happy to hear that he has to carry those bags up here. "Thanks Piper,"

Piper returned the smile, but it seemed somewhat sad. "I'll be back Annabeth, and don't worry, everything will turn out just fine."

For some reason, the tone in her voice made me feel more relaxed and sure that everything was going to be ok.

I nodded, and with one last smile, she closed the door softly behind her.

I sighed and sat in the sofa, burying my face in my hands.

 _What am I going to do now?_

* * *

 **Aw, poor Annabeth ): Hopefully everything will turn out better for her... What do you guys think? What's gonna happen to her? Please comment, review, give me suggestions, requests, opinions, I'd love it! (: And what do you guys think Hades should be the owner of? Cause Zeus has the airlines, Poseidon the boats and stuff, what about Hades? Please comment suggestions for that, I'd really appreciate it! :D and I'm literally staying up until 1:30 AM writing this XD whoops?...**

 **~Kat (:**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello again my lovely readers! So, I've made a decision... I'll be uploading chapters every Friday if I have the chance. And if I don't, then I'll try to upload one the following day. I chose Friday because I don't really have time to upload a chapter any other day of the week, and I'm also going back to school because spring break is over D: so, that's just to let you guys know. Anyway... thank you for all your reviews and comments! I read every single one, and I appreciate all the support! But I've been talking too much, so without further Ado, here's chapter 4 to Sworn off Love (:**

 **Disclaimer: *sighs sadly* I wish I did, but I don't own PJO**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After Piper and Annabeth left, Jason, Leo, and I walked down the hall Piper had originally come from. We kept walking down the hall until we reached the end. I faced the blank white wall, then reached out my hand and touched the hidden touchpad on the wall. A red line scanned my hand and beeped when it was done. Then, I put my eye in front of the touchpad, and it scanned my eye just like it had done to my hand. Immediately, a door appeared on the once blank wall.

The guys and I stepped in, and I faced another touch pad next to the door. This touch pad had a series of questions displayed in Ancient Greek. Everyone in my gang was required to know the language. I chose it because I know not many people know or understand the language, and if anyone ever manages to come in here, if they put in the wrong answer because they didn't understand what it's asking, a sword will fall from the ceiling and immediately kill them.

As I put in the correct answers, I kept hearing an annoying clacking of teeth next to me. It sounded like someone trying to bite down on hard candy. I sighed in irritation and turned my head to look at Leo. He was absentmindedly unwrapping another Jolly Rancher, and then throwing the paper to the floor. I looked out into the hall we had come from. There was a trail of Jolly Rancher wrappers leading up to the door, the way we had come from. I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance and looked back at Leo. He was about to pop it into his mouth when Jason smacked his hand, sending the candy skittering across the floor.

Leo turned to stare pointedly at him. "What the hell man? That was watermelon! And you _know_ I love watermelon."

Jason rolled his eyes and glanced back at Leo. "The weird noises were getting annoying, dude. And you're cleaning those up when we come back." Jason gestured towards the trail of wrappers.

Leo grinned wryly. "Man, you should know by now that I love making weird noises." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Jason and I rolled our eyes at his dirty joke, and I pushed the button next to the touchpad to close the door. Then, the elevator began descending downstairs.

* * *

After we had descended the elevator, we stepped out into a dark corridor, lit up only by a few fluorescent lights, giving the hall an eerie glow. Our footsteps echoed through the silent and vacant hall. None of us said anything. I kept thinking back to Annabeth, and to what everyone else might decide when we had the meeting.

 _Would they want me to kill her? Would they want her alive? What happens if they do want her alive?_ But my mind kept going back to one question; _If they asked me to kill her, would I be able to?_

I shook the thoughts out of my head. I'll worry about it once we talk it over. I'll just wait until they give me their thoughts and opinions on it, then we'll see if she stays alive or not.

Soon, we reached a huge steel door, blocking the entrance to HQ. I knocked on the door five times, one knock for each syllable in 'The Olympians.'

Immediately, the door swung open, and Jason, Leo, and I stepped into HQ.

* * *

Inside, there was a room lit up by LED lights hung up on the Navy blue walls. In the center of the room was a long brown table, surrounded by eight cushioned, creamy white, leather seats, with one at the head of the table, where I sat. A TV hung in the wall in front of the table, where we could show up our targets or next places we were to go to. A big map of the United States was laid out into the table, and a touch pad next to it. This was where our meetings took place.

Another white, wooden door led to our monitoring room. Here we had at least twenty-five monitors displaying what our enemies and next targets were doing. Not to be stalker-ish or anything. We only displayed room or places where they might be doing anything suspicious or plotting against us.

Another door lead to our weapons area where we kept all our swords, guns, bow and arrows, daggers, and many other weapons.

Finally, one last door to the left side of the meeting room lead to our training area. The room was big and full of stuffed dummies, obstacle courses, and other training material, along with a sparring area where we usually trained with each other.

The familiar knock was heard on the steel door behind us, which had closed when we entered. It swung open, revealing a smiling Piper. She nodded in greeting at Leo and I, and then walked over to Jason, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey, can you bring Annabeth's bags upstairs? Please?" She asked with a sweet smile.

Jason kissed the top of her head and smiled down at her. "Sure, Pipes."

Leo stifled a laugh beside me, and I had to suppress rolling my eyes. I already knew Jason didn't like carrying those bags, and was groaning in irritation on the inside. If it had been anyone else, he would have automatically said no. But with Piper it's a different story. No matter how stupid or dangerous the task was, if Piper asked, he'd do it. But also, there's something about Piper's voice that was commanding, without her showing it. Her voice was like chocolate; thick and smooth. It seemed to melt into you, and made her words seem important and whatever task she said had said be done. If she said everything was going to be okay, you'd actually feel like it would.

Jason headed towards the door, when I remembered about everyone else. "Oh and while you're up there, call everyone else," I said. Jason nodded and opened the door, having a handle on our side, and left.

The door closed, leaving Leo, Piper, and I alone. Piper walked over to the table, sitting down in her usual spot; two seats down from the chair at the head of the table on the right side. The chair next to the one at the head was where Jason sat. She studied the map carefully, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip.

"Any new targets?" She asked, still staring at the map intently.

"Yeah, Brandon Fabiola,owner of Gemstone Corp. He's been threatening Olympus Enterprises lately," I explained, coming over to sit down in my seat.

"Sabotage or kill?" Questioned Leo, sitting down in his usual spot next to Piper.

"Kill," I responded immediately. "If we just sabotage his company, that won't be enough. He's too persistent, so even if we do, he won't be frightened at all, and just want to take down Olympus even more."

Piper and Leo both nodded understandingly. Leo leaned back into the chair, putting his hands on the back of his head, and kicking his feet up onto the table, completely ignoring my orders to not do that anymore.

Just then, the knock was heard on the door, and it burst open, revealing Thalia, Reyna, Bianca, Nico, and Jason.

Leo immediately straightened at the sight of Reyna and blushed bright red. Reyna pursed her lips, her cheeks tinting a nice crimson red. I sighed, my lips twitching. Those two were quite a sight to see when together.

Reyna was tall, with waist length black hair, and obsidian eyes. She had a nice creamy complexion, an athletic figure, and nicely toned arms and legs. Her head is always held high and proud, and had a regal aura about her, much like Jason. Reyna is almost always serious and can be very scary when she's mad, like Thalia. Say one insult about her, and she'll have you pinned against the wall, her sword pressed against your throat, in just seconds. She's a very skilled fighter, and moves quickly. This is one of the reasons why I take her to other gang's territories, just in case a fight breaks out. Reyna has a sister named Hylla, leader of another gang, The Amazons, which consists of only females. She doesn't like to talk about her past and sister, whom she's very distant from. She hates it when anyone asks her about her life before the gang, and will kill you if you pry. She was wearing a purple tank top, black shorts, and black wedged ankle high boots,and had her hair made neatly into a French braid.

Next walked in Bianca, my other cousin and Nico's slightly older sister. Her dad is Hades Di Angelo, my uncle and one of the owners of Olympus Enterprises. He owns most of the hotels in the U.S. Bianca is very sweet and honest, and looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly, but she fights like demon when the time comes. Bianca has a pale skin tone, and jet black, straight hair. She has black, yet warm eyes. Bianca is brave and persistent, and usually doesn't take no for an answer. She's always cheerful, but can get moody at the mention of her and Nico's mother, who died about 2 years ago in an exploding building, who everyone is yet to know who caused it. She was wearing a blue blouse, denim jeans, blue flats, and her hair was tied into a high ponytail.

Nico is the complete opposite of his sister in attitude. He can get very rude and snappy at times, but manages to control it. He's very quiet, while Bianca won't shut up. He's moody, but fairly nice to the people he knows. He seems to have on a permanent scowl, but smiles from time to time. He has shaggy black hair that's always falling into his onyx eyes. He has more of a paler complexion than Bianca. Nico also likes to wear black, just like Thalia. Right now, he was wearing a black T-shirt with a skull in the center, black faded jeans, black Converse, the silver skull ring he's always wearing, and a silver chain hung by his waist.

Reyna glanced at Leo, and blushed slightly all over again, taking a seat next to him. It was weird seeing Reyna blush so much, since she's usually all I'll-kill-you-if-you-look-at-me, but she does it often when Leo's around. Like always, he was oblivious to it though. Once she sat down next to him, Leo grinned like the Cheshire Cat and propped his feet back onto the table once again.

"So, what are we here to talk about, Perce?" Bianca inquired, bouncing over to sit next to Thalia, who was on the left side of the table and sitting to the seat nearest to mine, right across from Jason.

"We have two things to talk about. One is about our next target, Brandon Fabiola. But we'll get more into that later on. Right now, we have to talk about someone who knows we're in the gang, and we might have to kill. She's upstairs right now," I explained.

Reyna frowned, narrowing her dark eyes at me. I had to resist the urge to squirm under her gaze, because she usually has that affect on people, much like Thalia. Those two had more in common than I realized.

"She? You mean it's a girl? Why couldn't you have lured her somewhere else and have killed her there? Why do we have to have a meeting about this? We do it all the time," Reyna pointed out, her eyes studying my expression.

I glanced at Jason, Thalia, and Leo, who were all giving me knowing looks. Piper noticed this and frowned. She pointed at us one by one. "Guys, how exactly did you find her?" She questioned, eyes narrowed.

I sighed and quickly explained everything from start to finish. Once I was done with my story, I studied everyone's expressions. Piper looked miserable, probably because she didn't want to involve her friend in any gang business in the first place. Jason and Leo both looked argumentative. Thalia looked like a mixture of the two. Reyna and Nico both remained neutral, since they didn't know Annabeth very well and thought that whatever or whoever she was, we should kill her.

Bianca on the other hand, was jumping up and down in her seat from excitement.

"Annabeth Chase? Are you serious? I can't believe it! And she's upstairs right now-?" She stopped abruptly, finally understanding what had to happen. Her lips curved downward into a frown, and the excited gleam in her eyes darkened. She swallowed, looking over at me hesitantly. "And we're going to have to get rid of her?"

I nodded grimly. To be honest, I now knew that I didn't want to kill her. I wasn't exactly sure why, but there was something special about her that made me take a liking to her. If a girl ever found out about us, I'd kill her without hesitation. But with Annabeth, I felt different. Some part of me knew I shouldn't kill her, for reasons other than taking a liking to her.

Now, I didn't even know what to feel. But guilt right now was overpowering me. I shouldn't have brought her here I in the first place. I should have left her in the alley.

Suddenly, fiery red curls, emerald green eyes, and a melodious laugh filled my head. Dark memories surged through me, and I clenched my jaw hard, anger surging through me. I had more important things to deal with.

Leo looked at me, an expression that I didn't know how to describe on his face. "Perce, you saw her flip that guy. That was impressive, especially for a girl with heels. She has quick reflexes, and you gotta admit, the girl's pretty smart."

"She also has powerful people with her. If we recruited her to the gang, we could use those people to our advantage. Come on Kelp Head, we could use someone like her," Thalia added, making Leo and Jason nod in agreement.

She narrowed her electric eyes at me, and I had to resist from cringing under her stare. "Tell me Percy, why exactly don't you want to let her in?"

 _Because if I do, she might get hurt, or even worse, die. And it would be all my fault for getting her into this mess in the first place,_ one part of me responded.

 _What if these feelings I'm having are telling me something important?_

I opened my mouth to say something, when the familiar knock was heard on the door. Instinctively, we all pulled out our guns and daggers, aiming them at the door. We all knew no one else was missing, and there was no way Annabeth could've gotten down here. We were all assuming it was one of our enemies.

The door swung open, revealing Annabeth, a perplexed look on her face.

* * *

For about three seconds, no one said a word. We were all too stunned. I'm pretty sure everyone's jaws hit the floor when we saw who it was. Well, Jason, Leo, Thalia, Piper, Bianca and I.

But Reyna was the first one to react. Not knowing how Annabeth looked like and thinking she was the enemy, her warrior instincts kicked in. She grabbed her dagger, and front flipped over the table.

I didn't even have the chance to to yell stop, when she lunged at Annabeth, her dagger aiming right towards Annabeth's stomach.

* * *

 **NOOO REYNA! DON'T KILL HER! ITS JUST ANNABETH! :O What's going to happen next? Is Reyna going to actually kill Annabeth? Or will she survive? Sorry if this chapter was short... The next one will probably be longer. Please leave a review! I read all of them and love all of the nice things you guys say! :D I'll see you guys next Friday!**

 **~Kat (:**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! It's FINALLY Friday... So you know what that means! A NEW CHAPTER! Here is chapter 5 to Sworn off Love (: I hope u enjoy it:**

 **Disclaimer: Unless my name is Rick Riordan, which sadly it's not, I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

 _I didn't even have the chance to yell stop, when she lunged at Annabeth, her dagger aimed right at Annabeth's stomach._

I stood there in horror, watching as Reyna's dagger was just a second away from plunging into Annabeth's stomach. Before the tip could even touch her, Annabeth quickly did a backflip, her feet kicking Reyna's dagger out of her hand, and sending it flying into the air. When Annabeth returned to her feet and faced Reyna, a smug look on her face, she held out her palm, in which the dagger flew into as if on cue.

Reyna stood there gawking at Annabeth, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, trying to form words that would not come out. I probably had the same expression. Never in a million years, would I live to see the day someone kick Reyna's weapon out of her hand, especially if they had just met Reyna and had not been prepared for her warrior instincts. What now? Is Thalia gonna dye her hair blonde?

Leo stared at Annabeth with an expression of amazement and wonder. The only time I ever see him have that expression is when Reyna laughs at a stupid joke he said, which is rare. He glanced over at me, his expression now clearly saying, _see how awesome she is?_

Thalia had an expression of approval, which surprised me even more, since she rarely gives that look to people we just meet. Bianca looked like she was trying hard not to squeal, and she was jumping up and down her chair from excitement. Piper was simply grinning in approval at Annabeth, sneaking a glance at Jason, who couldn't seem to form any coherent words. Nico had an eyebrow raised and stared at Annabeth with interest, a slight smirk on his face.

Reyna, who had been gaping at Annabeth the entire time, finally composed herself. She took on a guarded expression and crossed her arms over her chest, the way she always does when she's unsure about someone. "Who-who _are_ you? Are you a recruit that I've never seen or met before or..." Reyna trailed off, clearly unsure of who this mysterious girl was.

Annabeth arched an eyebrow, indicating that she wasn't used to people not knowing who she was. "I'm Annabeth Chase. I hope that's not how all the members of Percy's gang welcome people." Annabeth glanced at the knife Reyna had almost killed her with.

Reyna's expression relaxed and she cleared her throat. "Ah... You're that supermodel everyone's talking about. Sorry about almost killing you. I thought you were an enemy." Reyna held out her hand in greeting. "My name's Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano."

Annabeth studied Reyna carefully, but shook her hand anyway. "Nice to meet you... I take it you're weary of strangers and not quick to trust them. I also take it you had a rough past that made you like this with others. Am I correct?"

Reyna stiffened, and everyone, including me, flinched. We all knew that Reyna hated talking about her past, and got angry with those who mentioned or asked her about her past life. I expected Reyna to drop kick Annabeth right then and there, but what she did surprised me the most of all the events of today; she smiled at Annabeth.

Reyna turned to face me, an approving sparkle in her dark eyes. "They're right, you know. I can see now why they want her in. She's quick to observe things about people, we could use someone like her."

I clenched my jaw. I can't let her in. I can't let her get to me. She might get hurt, and it'll be all my fault.

Leo looked at Annabeth, awe-stricken. "H-how'd you manage to even get in here? My cousin and I programmed this place to be impossible for an outsider to get in."

Annabeth smiled, a pleased look on her face. She waved a dismissive hand. "That was easy. I found that padlock by following a trail of Jolly Rancher wrappers." I glared at Leo, knowing he was the one who dropped all those wrappers. He in turn, smiled sheepishly and pretended not to notice my glare.

"And the questions?" Annabeth continued, "I can speak, read, and write in Ancient Greek, so it was no problem. I had also managed to disable the retna scan and hand print scanner to allow me to get into the elevator. Also, when I got to that door," she gestured towards the door behind her. "It seemed hollow and meant to have a knocking type of password in order to be able to open it up. Now, I'll admit that it was a bit tricky figuring out that password, but I just put myself in Percy's point of view, and wondered what password I would put on it. It'd obviously have to do something with the cause they're in, which is The Olympians. So, I just guessed and decided to knock the number of syllables in the name."

My mouth hung open. I opened and closed my mouth. Once again, this girl managed to surprise me all over again, and I was getting tired of feeling that way. The others kept staring at her as if she was a goddess that had just appeared out of nowhere. They all turned to face me, waiting for me to decide what would happen next. They all had that same expression; "we need her."

I clenched and unclenched my jaw. If I said no, they'd keep pestering about it and asking why I decided that. But they wouldn't understand. _I_ dont even understand why I don't want her in, which just makes my situation worse. I felt irritation and anger rising up my chest.

 _Why is this girl making me feel so confused? Why can't I just kill her and be done with her? Why? What's so special about her?_

These questions jumbled up in my head, echoing through my mind and making my head hurt. I couldn't take it anymore. I can't talk about this right now.

"We'll talk about this later. This meeting is over," I snapped. The sound of my voice surprised me. I shouldn't be so mad about a simple decision like this. But as much as I told myself that, I wouldn't listen.

Leo frowned, opening his mouth to say something, but before he could, I cut him off. " _I said, this meeting is over."_ With one last glare at all of them, I stormed out, letting the heavy door shut with a loud bang behind me.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I watched as Percy stormed out of the room, scowling. He seemed to wear that expression a lot, even if he tried to cover it up with a dazzling smile. He shut the door closed, making an eerie echo fill the room. I faced the others, my eyebrows raised and my head cocked to the side. I pointed to the door behind me.

"Did I do something wrong?"

All of the others seemed to wake up from a sort of trance, a look of worry on their faces, suggesting that they cared a lot about Percy.

Leo smirked and shook his head. "Nah, Percy always gets like that. He's a lot more moody after what happened with..." He trailed off, noticing the warning glare everyone was shooting him. He gulped and forced a smile. "You know what? Forget about it. Don't worry, he'll be fine. Like I said, that's how he normally is."

I nodded slowly, unconvinced. They knew something... Something that had to do with why Percy always seemed to be scowling, or why his beautiful green eyes seemed so heartbroken.

Reyna glanced at me and smiled, shaking me out of my thoughts. I tried to remember what she had said to Percy... What was it? That they could use someone like me? But for what exactly?

"Well... I guess I should introduce you to everyone and their codenames. Mine is Amazon. And I presume you've already met Jason, Piper, Thalia and Leo." Reyna gestured towards them and I nodded, smiling. "Jason's codenamed Storm. Leo's codenamed Flame. Piper is codenamed Charmer. And Thalia is codenamed Thunder Huntress." When she finished, they all smiled and nodded at me.

Reyna turned towards a girl and a boy, who looked similar, indicating that they must be brother and sister. "This is Bianca Di Angelo and her slightly younger brother Nico Di Angelo." Nico scowled, clearly not liking being introduced as the younger sibling. Reyna didn't seem to notice his glare, or she didn't care, and continued talking. "Their father is Hades Di Angelo, one of the owners of Olympus Enterprises. Bianca's codenamed Shadow Angel, and Nico is codenamed Ghost King."

When Reyna finished with her introductions, Bianca jumped out of her seat and basically flew over to me. Before I knew what she was going to do, she tackled me with a hug. This surprised me, which is a feeling I rarely get, since I can usually tell what's going to happen next. Bianca pulled back and beamed at me.

"It's so amazing to meet you! I can't believe it's actually you! I basically have read everything about you, seen every talkshow you've been on, and kept every magazine you've been featured on. You're just so amazing and gorgeous-" Bianca's rambling was cut off by Nico clearing his throat loudly.

Bianca smiled sheepishly, her slightly pale cheeks turning a nice shade of crimson red. "Right. Sorry. I'm just _so_ excited to meet you."

I laughed, something I haven't done in a while, but this girl made it hard not to. I patted her shoulder and smiled genuinely at her. "It's fine. It's nice to meet you too."

The question that I had earlier came back into my mind. I turned towards Reyna, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "What did you mean when you said you could use someone like me?"

Reyna's smile wavered. She looked at Jason, and they seemed to have a silent conversation. Finally, Jason sighed and turned towards me, smiling nervously. "We'll have to get back to you on that. We have to talk to Percy about it later."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously but nodded. I couldn't help feeling as if something important had to do with that comment Reyna had said to Percy about me. I shook my head. I was just being paranoid. Nothing was going to happen to me.

Boy was I wrong.

* * *

"It's getting late, I think I'mma head off to bed now. I could lead you back to your room if you want Annabeth," Piper offered. I shook my head but smiled at her gratefully.

"Um, that's ok Piper. I kinda already memorized the way to and from my room."

Piper's eyes widened in surprise but she smiled. "Wow, already? Well, that's fine if that's what you want. But, I'm really tired. I'll see you all in the morning." Piper walked over to Jason and kissed his temple, making that love sick grin appear on his face. Piper smiled and left the room, letting the door close with that same, secure bang. As if what was said in this room, stayed in this room.

* * *

After Piper left, I stayed in the room a little longer, and got to know the others a little more. I couldn't believe that these nice, caring people, were involved with selling drugs, killing people, and committing other crimes. They all seemed so sweet and genuine, I figured they were just putting up an act. But they couldn't be that good of actors. It made me wonder how they entered the gang in the first place. What if they were forced into joining? Or was there another reason for it? How do they like being one of the most wanted people in the nation? What exactly do they have to put up with?

These thoughts flooded my mind as I made my way upstairs after saying goodnight to everyone. Never in my life would I ever imagine joining a gang. I already had a good life, and I plan to keep it that way.

Turns out my plans were ruined sooner than expected.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After I had stormed out, I decided to head for our indoor pool, the only place I could go to when I needed to clear my head or calm down. Water has always managed to make me feel relaxed and happy, no matter what mood I was in. I've always had a love for water. Ever since I was little. Thats one similarity my Dad and I both share. We're both in love with the ocean, and wish we could stay there forever. I remember my Dad always use to take my mom and I to the beach, being able to enjoy being together. But that all changed after the incident. I've never been able to forgive myself about it ever since.

I shook my head. _No more depressing thoughts. It's just you, and the calm, blue, relaxing water._

I entered the room where our pool was located in. Almost immediately, I was hit with the scent of chlorine. While some people might not like the smell, I loved it. It seemed to soothe my nerves. I breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent.

I walked over to one of the pool chairs and took off my shirt, jeans, and shoes, not bothering to get some swimming trunks. I dove into the water, letting the cold, fresh feel surround me. I swam around the large pool, my arms never getting tired. I moved my arms in slow strokes, making sure I could enjoy the feeling of being in my favorite element. I swam laps back and forth across the pool, letting all my worries wash away.

After about an hour, I had finally calmed down. Now, I sat at the bottom of the pool, my eyes closed, just enjoying the feeling of being alone.

That feeling was interrupted when I felt someone throw something at me. _Hard._ I groaned internally and opened my eyes, the water stinging only a bit. I looked at the object that had been thrown at me. It was a shoe. _My_ shoe, to be exact.

I looked up in annoyance, noticing four blurry figures standing at the edge of the pool.

Already knowing who those four figures were, I resurfaced, breaking through the water with a big splash.

"What the fuck? _Argh!_ Kelp Head! You splashed me!"" Thalia growled, scowling deeply at me. I smirked triumphantly at Thalia, loving how she gets pissed off easily.

Beside her, Leo snickered, trying, but failing, to cover it up with a cough. Thalia glared at him. _"_ Oh, you think it's funny?"

Leo couldn't hold it in anymore, he burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Thalia continued to glower at him. She growled menacingly, and shoved Leo hard, knocking him into the pool.

He came up spluttering, spitting out the water that had gotten into his mouth. "Are you fucking kidding me, Thalia?" He asked, annoyance dripping from his voice.

Thalia smiled sweetly at him. _"Nope,"_ she replied, popping the "p."

Leo sighed and got out, his clothes dripping wet. "I'mma go shower, no thanks to _someone."_ He looked pointedly at Thalia, who was snickering.

"Hey, I did you a favor. You needed a shower."

Leo blushed, mainly because Reyna was standing right next to him, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

He walked off, cussing and grumbling.

I grinned, then turned to the remaining three people standing on the edge of the pool; Thalia, Jason, and Reyna. I sighed, already knowing what they wanted to talk about.

"I know, I know. You came to talk to me about our Annabeth situation." I said, before they could even say anything.

Jason nodded, then narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. "Percy...why don't you want Annabeth to join the gang?"

I winced, not wanting to answer the question. I sighed and ran my hand through my dripping wet hair, making it stick up in different places. "I-I don't know... I've been asking myself that question too, but I still don't know the answer to it."

They exchanged worried looks, and looked back at me. "Percy... This doesn't have to do with what happened last time, does it?" Asked Reyna hesitantly.

I sighed heavily, shrugging. "I'm guessing... I'm just scared that I might get too close to Annabeth, and have that whole situation happen again... I don't want that. Also, I'm worried that letting her into the gang might get her hurt... Or even worse, kill her."

Their expressions softened. Thalia spoke softly to me, a tone she only used once. "Percy... Annabeth's a tough girl. If she does join, I highly doubt she'll let her guard down enough to get herself hurt."

I lower my gaze, not wanting to meet their eyes.

"Besides," asked Reyna. "Do you _want_ to kill her?"

 _No, I don't._

I fought with my inner thoughts. My gang members always looked up to me. Expected me to make the right choice that would keep all of us alive. What if letting Annabeth join might affect that? I sighed in defeat, looking up at them again.

"Do you guys want her in?"

They all seemed hesitant, but finally, they nodded.

I sighed, once again. "Alright, this is what's going to happen. We'll let Annabeth spar with Reyna for a while, and wrestle with Thalia, just to see how much strength and abilities she has. Then, we'll take her to a bar, where I know another gang usually hang out in. A fight will probably break out, and we'll see how she does. I'm taking everyone. It's a small gang, but they can still fight. I don't want anyone getting hurt. Deal?"

They all smiled and nodded.

I just hoped I was making the right decision.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

After washing my face, I began to wash my hands and arms. My thoughts flickered back to Percy, and his usual heartbroken eyes. Maybe he had something similar happen to him like what happened to me...

But no. No one has suffered such a heartbreak and betrayal as I have. Something a girl should never have to go through in their lives. What he did to me was too horrible... After that night I've never been the same. He hurt me, caused me so much pain, and most of all, used me... My body to be exact. I've been so insecure about myself ever since then. I hate looking at myself in mirrors. You might think that's stupid, since I'm a supermodel and all, but I can't help think that I'm nothing.

Worthless.

At least, that's what he called me. The more he did, the more I believed him. His words hurt me, cutting deep into every piece of my body. I can't even look into a mirror without remembering what he did to me that night. I hate seeing my face plastered on every magazine and billboard. Those pictures show me flashing the cameras a dazzling smile, but the people who look at those pictures are too oblivious to notice that the girl whose wearing that smile, is broken beyond repair.

I had almost died from a panic attack when those two bastards harassed me. It brought back so many unwanted memories... Memories I've tried to forget about, but always seem to haunt me in my sleep. I try to keep a perfect image of myself to the public. To keep my pride high. So that anyone who looks at me wouldn't think that such a thing could happen to a girl as perfect and intelligent as me.

But I'm not perfect.

I'm worthless.

I'm not intelligent.

I'm stupid.

Stupid for letting him get to me, making me think that he loved me.

But I was wrong.

Those sparkling blue eyes I adored looking into everyday. The ones that seemed to assure me that he would never betray or hurt me.

But I was wrong.

And the moral lessons after that?

I would never let a man touch me ever again.

And the most important lesson of all;

I would never, _ever,_ fall in love with a man ever again.

* * *

 **So.. there's kind of an insight on one of Annabeth's heartbreaks... The one that affected her the most. The last one that's ever happened to her... Whose " _he?"_ Comment who you think she's talking about... If you already have an idea who it is... Haha... Also, what happened to Percy's family that made him stop going to the beach with his family? What "accident" happened? All those questions will be answered later on in the story... Keep reading to find out! And, if haven't noticed, I'm making Bianca kinda like a fangirl in this XD Also, sorry if there are any mistakes in this, didn't really check it over... Please leave a review? AND THANK YOU ALL FOR 21 REVIEWS! AHHHH IM SO HAPPY XDD it might not be alot... But they still mean ALOT to me ((:**

 **~Kat**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hellooo my lovely readers! I am just SOOO happy to see how many of you like this story! I literally can't stop grinning XD So... I uploaded this chapter a day early cuz I probably wasn't going to have time tomorrow:/ Can this get at least 30 reviews? If it does I'll be the happiest girl in the world ((:**

 **Meistar: Hmmm.. maybe and thank you so much!**

 **Michelle: Possibly... And thanks!**

 **.si: Your comment made me smile so much, so thank you! I love to smile :D**

 **But enough chit chat, you all came here to read a new chapter so here it is:**

 **Disclaimer: I will never, ever own PJO, as much as I wish I did :/**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I woke up groggily, the after effects of not getting any sleep kicking in. I had stayed up all night thinking about the next day. The same question echoed through my mind the whole night, forcing my eyes to not shut for a millisecond. _Would I even live to see the sun tomorrow?_

I tried to fall asleep, but even if I did close my eyes, dark memories would fill my head. Images that I try hard to forget about, but always seem to come back.

My head pounded, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut. I sighed heavily, bringing my fingers to massage my temples. I always hated headaches, but I also can't imagine who in their right mind would even like them. They always made me feel unprepared, unfocused, and vulnerable. What if while I tried to massage my head, something unexpected might happen? What if an emergency might occur, and I was too busy trying to ignore the pounding in my head? If I tried to contact someone important, and the continuous thumping in my head wouldn't let me focus on what I had to say? I _hate_ headaches. Too many things can go wrong while you have one.

I sat up, the pounding in my head getting worse. "Ugh," I groaned as the light from outside illuminated the room, not helping my case at all. I shielded my eyes. _I'll need to remember to close those curtains at night._

 _If you even live to do it,_ another part of me said.

 _Thanks for reminding me._

I threw off the covers of the soft bed. Immediately, my body was exposed to a cold breeze. I ignored it and climbed out, rubbing my hands over my goosebump-filled arms. I looked at the bed longingly, wishing I could just climb back in and forget any of this ever happened, just make myself think that this was all a dream.

But of course, reality had to run everything. This was real. I either had a chance of living, or being killed. Part of me assumed the latter was the highest possibility, but I tried to ignore that thought. I was _not_ going to die. I'm Annabeth Chase. Annabeth Chase _never_ gives up without a fight. If they decided to kill me, I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry or look scared.

I quickly made the bed, making sure there were no wrinkles in the sheets whatsoever. I fluffed the pillows and set them neatly on the bed. I smoothed out the top sheet with one hand and examined the newly made bed. I nodded, satisfied with my work. If I wasn't going to come back to this room, I wanted to make sure the bed looked perfectly nice and neat for the next girl these criminals decide to bring over.

Before, if you'd ask me if I was ever worried about getting hurt or kidnapped by criminals, I would've laughed. Annabeth Chase would _never_ let her guard down. She would never allow anyone to touch her and give her no choice but to surrender. Now, I wasn't so sure about those statements. I was stupid. Correction; I _am_ stupid. I should've never gone into that alley. None of this would've happened. Right now, I'd be in my private jet to Las Vegas, where I was supposed to be at a photo shoot.

 _Oh no._ Panic swelled up inside my chest. I inhaled and exhaled rapidly, my palms getting sweaty from nervousness. _My career. What was I going to do about that? Were there already reports about me going missing? Are people looking for me?_ Before I had ducked into that alley, I had gotten out of the mall and was headed towards my penthouse, where I was going to meet my agent, Melissa Myers. I could just imagine her right now, frantic and panicking all over the place. I could picture her tapping her right foot and tapping her fingers rapidly on her left thigh, the way she does when she's nervous.

 _Oh shit._ I'd been so caught up in worrying about the next day, I hadn't thought about the people that must've been wondering where I was. My mom, brother, friends. _What am I going to do? Now, I know that I_ can't _let myself be killed. I can't._

Already thinking strategic thoughts, I headed towards my shopping bags, pulling out the clothes and accessories I had bought. Without putting much interest in what I was going to wear, like I normally do, I grabbed a pair of deep blue skinny jeans, a creamy white long-sleeved cardigan, a gray t-shirt, and some gray flats.

I went into the bathroom to change, since it was too cold for me to change in the room. When I finished changing, I put my hair into a hastily made half up-half down style. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, putting on some cream I had bought afterwards. I didn't bother putting on any makeup, since I don't like the stuff, as weird as that is, me being a supermodel and all, because it just made my face feel way too heavy and cakey. Besides, I didn't even wear makeup at photoshoots, my face wasn't acne filled nor greasy-like, and my agent and others agreed I didn't need it.

I opened the door to enter the room, and was hit with a warm breeze. I blinked in surprise. Just a minute ago, it was freezing, now it was warm? I shrugged, not putting much thought into it and stepped into the room I had slept in.

Not seeing much else to do, I headed for the door that headed out into the hallway. As I reached for the door, I noticed a black, furry shape the size of my palm plastered on the door near the handle. Then I noticed it had 8 long legs covered in hairs. Then I realized it was moving.

My heart stopped, and I began to hyperventilate. I stumbled backwards, watching the ugly beast scurry down the door and onto the floor, just 2 feet away from where I was. I couldn't move. I felt numb. I scurried backwards on my butt, wanting to get away from the disgusting animal as soon as possible. I soon bumped into the couch positioned in front of the bed. The bump seemed to turn on my senses again.

I did the only thing I could do.

I screamed.

It was an ear-splitting shriek, one that could probably be heard from every room in this entire house.

I watched as the monster scurried closer towards me, it's legs making a scraping sound against the floor.

I continued screaming, and before I knew it, tears began streaming down my face, leaving clear blobs in the floor and dark blotches on my jeans.

I wailed and screamed, wanting to get away from the vile creature but I couldn't. I couldn't move. All my limbs felt numb and powerless.

I screamed and pleaded for help, begging that someone, anyone would show up. I kept my back pressed up tightly against the couch, not wanting to move from that spot. The animal inched closer to me, at least a foot away from me now. It was as if it was doing this on purpose, as if it knew I couldn't do anything and was vulnerable to any movement it did. It was as if it wanted to get closer to me on purpose. It wanted to make me scream and wail like a 5 year old child.

The beast was now 5 inches away from me, just a couple more steps and it'd be touching my left foot. I kept crying and screaming.

 _Someone help me._

As if on cue, the door burst open, revealing Percy, Piper, Jason, Thalia, Nico, Bianca, Reyna and Leo. They all looked panicked and concerned, and they all had a weapon at hand, pointing them into the room. Well, all of them except Leo. For some reason, he was holding a frying pan. I would've laughed at the sight, but I felt completely shut down, only being able to scream and cry.

"What happened?" Asked Percy, scanning the room.

I continued hyperventilating, only being able to rasp out, "It's-it's a sp-sp-Spider!" I pointed to the monster, my hand shaking furiously.

They all looked at each other with arched eyebrows, but once they saw the state I was in, their expressions turned into deep concern.

The beast had finally reached my foot, and it put one leg on the exposed skin, and slowly began inching up my foot. I let out a blood curdling scream, my body shaking violently.

Percy immediately ran towards me. He crouched down next to me and smacked the spider away with his hand, sending it flying across the air. It dropped to the ground and Percy quickly squished it with his foot, making a loud crunch. He made a disgusted face and took off his shoe, setting it down in the floor. All that was left of the spider was a dark, bloody spot on the floor.

I brought my knees up to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them. I rocked back and forth, tears still running down my face. Percy furrowed his eyebrows in concern. He went over to me and knelt next to me.

"Hey, are you ok?" He spoke gently, as if I was a wild deer that might run away at the sound of his voice. His tone surprised me. I wouldn't imagine him speaking so softly and gently to a person before, but I didn't focus on that for too long. I was busy trying to regain calmness after what happened, but I was having no luck.

Percy asked me again, his tone still gentle. I nodded my head. He put his hand on my knee, and I recoiled from his touch. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he didn't say anything, and I was glad for that. "Th-thank you," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Percy nodded, his sea green eyes full of worry, but still holding that brokenhearted look.

Soon, the others entered as well. They all crowded around me, and I suddenly felt embarrassed that I had made such a scene. They all probably thought it was stupid for someone to be that afraid of a simple spider, but they didn't understand. Spiders brought back dark memories, ones that I don't like talking, or thinking about.

I untangled my arms from my knees and got up to sit on the couch behind me. I lowered my eyes to the floor. "I-Im sorry. I shouldn't have caused that big of a scene."

Their eyes softened. "It's ok Annabeth. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of something. It's just part of being human. But, if you don't mind me asking, why did you get that afraid of a spider?" Bianca asked politely, her tone kind and soft.

I kept my gaze on the ground. I didn't want to talk about it. It was too painful to talk about, and if I did, I was sure I would break down in front of them. I couldn't let them see that side of me, the broken one, the one I did so well at hiding.

"I-Im sorry Bianca, but I don't like talking about it. It's too painful." I respond quietly. They all shared questioning glances, but they didn't comment on it.

Percy cleared his throat, then gestured towards the smudge on the floor. "Um, one of you clean that up. It's disgusting, and I'm sure Miss Chase here won't appreciate having dead spider parts all over her floor."

They all looked at each other, clearly none of them wanted to clean up spider parts. Percy sighed in exasperation. "Oh for God's Sake. You guys can rob places, do drug deals, kill people, but you can't clean something up as simple as a dead spider?"

They shook their heads, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I volunteer Leo," suggested Thalia, shoving Leo forward.

"Uh, hell no. Thalia's doing it." Leo replied, glaring at her.

"No, I'm not."

"Uh, yeah you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ye-"

"You guys! Shut up already and decide whose going to do it!" Interrupted Reyna exasperatedly. Thalia and Leo huffed, and then Thalia looked around.

"Where the hell is Death Breath?"

They all looked around the room, and I'm guessing Thalia was indicating Nico, who was nowhere to be seen.

"He must've snuck out while you and Leo were bickering," said Piper.

"Sneaky little shit," mumbled Thalia, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring daggers at the open door.

"Well, we've already decided whose cleaning up that shit. So Thalia, go ahead sweetie," Leo confirmed in a sweet voice, making little shooing motions with both his hands.

"Fuck you," Thalia growled, punching Leo in the stomach.

"Ow! What the hell Thalia?" Shrieked Leo, hunching over.

Thalia smirked. "One, we never agreed that I would clean up that crap. And two, _don't_ call me _sweetie._ Okay?"

Leo scowled and stuck his tongue out at her, which she maturely copied back.

While they were busy bickering, I couldn't stop shaking. My whole body seemed to have shut down. The only feeling that wasn't totally numb was the feeling I hated second most; fear.

The feeling made me feel so helpless, immobile, defeated. It went against what I was known for throughout the U.S, which was my pride, beauty, and usual confidence I always put on in public. No one would ever think that I, of all people, would feel fear. But, it was the feeling I had experienced most when I was with _him._

I kept shaking violently, memories of him flooding back into my mind. He was the reason I reacted like that with the spider. Why I didn't let Percy's hand touch my knee. He was the reason why I can't seem to go back to my old self.

Percy must've noticed my discomfort, because he turned to Thalia and Leo, his scowl coming on to play. "Shut up you two. You know what? _I'll_ clean up the mess. Leo, go back to making breakfast. Reyna, you help him. Thalia, go check on all our air-related transportation to see if they need anything fixed. Jason, go help her. Piper, help Annabeth calm down a bit, and then you can give her a tour of the house. Bianca, go check on our control room to monitor our targets and where they're at. Then, we all meet in the dining room to eat breakfast. We'll see what we do next there after we eat." Percy instructed with ease, not having any trouble giving out jobs to do.

I noticed that none of them argued with his orders. They all just nodded in respect and agreement to his directions, and set off. Bianca, the last one out, closed the door gently behind her. That left me, Percy and Piper in the room.

They didn't question me on my meltdown though, for which I was grateful. Percy went into the bathroom to find something to clean up the mess with and came back with a dry and wet towel and a disinfectant spray.

Piper spoke softly to me, "Come on, Annabeth. Let me give you a tour of the house. Would you like that?"

I nodded in reply, forcing a smile. Piper smiled back and held out a hand, which I took in return. She hauled me up off the couch and began to lead me outside.

Before I closed the door, I looked at Percy in the eye and smiled genuinely at him. "Thank you," I said. Without letting him say anything, I closed the door gently behind me.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

"Thank you," she said, then closed the door softly behind her. I smiled to myself. "You're welcome," I said to no one in particular.

I crouched down and began wiping up the spider blood and body parts. I scrunched up my nose in disgust. _Why do they have to be so disgusting?_

My thoughts soon wandered back to Annabeth. She had looked so terrified when she'd pointed out the spider. I wouldn't expect her to act like that over something so small. Even after I killed it, her face still hadn't returned to it's normal perfectly tan complexion. She was shaking so violently, I was starting to get worried about her. Also, I noticed she had moved away completely after I had tried to put a hand on her knee. I wanted to ask her about it, but I figured she didn't want me touching her since I had killed that spider.

For some reason, I felt an odd feeling of concern for her. She looked so shaken up, I figured she had a bad reputation with spiders. She seemed so embarrassed after she calmed down. I'm guessing she didn't act like this in front of others, and was embarrassed that we'd seen that side of her. I couldn't blame her. I had sides of me I didn't want others knowing about.

Also, I knew we were all thinking the same thing; _Why was she so freaked out over seeing that spider?_

I finished cleaning up the last remnants of the spider and made sure not to throw away the towels I used for it in her room. Instead, I headed down to the kitchen to deposit the spider parts in the trashcan in there.

When I opened the door to the kitchen though, I was surprised to find Leo's hands on each side of Reyna's waist and Reyna having her arms wrapped around his neck. What also surprised me was that both were leaning towards each other, their faces inches apart. Their lips were centimeters away from touching when I cleared my throat loudly.

Reyna seemed to have jumped five feet in the air. She immediately jumped back, shoving Leo away from her too. Leo crashed into the stove behind him. His hand flew backwards, landing on the steaming hot pan. Leo didn't even flinch. Instead, he just calmly removed his hand and brushed it on his jeans.

Leo's and Reyna's faces were both bright red. They both cleared their throats and went back to what they were working in before. I smirked, knowing I had ruined their special moment. Leo turned his head and scowled at me. I looked around the kitchen innocently, pretending to ignore Leo's glare.

Reyna turned to look at Leo, the pink on her face from before now gone. She raised an eyebrow at him. "How do you not flinch or do anything when you touch a burning stove, but you do when Thalia punches you?"

Leo faced Reyna, a mock serious expression on his face. "Hey, that girl is scary. Even more so when she's mad. And even if she just punches someone for fun, it hurts like hell. I'm honestly surprised she hasn't broken my arm yet."

Reyna rolled her eyes at his complaints. "You're such a baby,"

Leo looked offended by her statement. "Rey, you haven't been hit by Thalia yet. I swear, that girl is like She-Hulk. Look, Percy would even agree with me."

Both of them turned to look at me, Reyna with a raised eyebrow and Leo with a look of expectancy on his face. I decided to cut Leo some slack to try to look good in front of Reyna.

"He speaks the truth. Thalia could tear down all of New York City of she wanted to," I said, shrugging.

Leo grinned and spread out his arms towards me. Reyna just scoffed and rolled her dark eyes, then turned back to making the food.

"What's this I hear about me tearing down New York?"

I turned my head to see Thalia and Jason entering. Jason's face was twisted in pain, suggesting Thalia had either punched, kicked, slapped, pinched, or all of the above, him.

Thalia grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl settled on the creamy white marble counter, and bit a chunk out of it. "You know, it's not such a bad idea. Thanks for the new idea guys," she said, her voice muffled by the apple bits in her mouth.

Leo, Jason and I all groaned, while Reyna grinned and high-fived Thalia.

"So... I know we're all wondering this, but why do you guys think Annabeth freaked out so much over that spider?" Thalia voiced the questioned that was in all of our heads.

We all went quiet, trying to figure out why, of all things, a _spider_ would scare _Annabeth Chase._

I bit my lip. When Bianca had asked her why she was so scared, she seemed to take that question very personally. I could relate to her.

I lifted my eyes to see them all staring at me, eyebrows arched as if they expected _me_ to know the answer. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that? I have no idea why she acted like that. And honestly, I don't think we should ask her about it. It seems to me that she has more than a phobia with spiders than we know about," I replied, crossing my arms.

They all nodded in agreement, but I could tell they still wanted an answer. I decided to change the topic, feeling unease creep into my stomach at the thought of it. "So, what are you guys making for breakfast?"

Reyna and Leo both grinned. "We," Reyna began. "Are making huevos rancheros, with my special salsa. Also, we're making chocolate chip pancakes and some bacon and sausages."

Thalia, Jason and I grinned. We all _loved_ Leo's huevos rancheros with Reyna's special salsa.

"Make sure to make some blue pancakes too," I added, tapping my fingers against my knee.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We _know_ Percy. You don't have to remind us every time we make food."

Just then, the kitchen door opened. Nico and Bianca walked in, both bickering about some nonsense.

Thalia scowled at Nico. "What the fuck Death Breath? We had a job for you and you disappeared! And might I add that it was _very_ important. Where were you?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nico grinned slyly at her. "That," he said, flicking Thalia in the head. "Is none of your business Pinecone Face."

Thalia growled at the use of the nickname and punched Nico in the stomach, making him double over in pain.

"I told you already. _Don't_ call me that." She said. Satisfied, Thalia grinned and went back to devouring her apple.

Ignoring Nico's groans of pain completely, Bianca stepped over him and went to help Reyna and Leo with the cooking.

I was about to start talking to Jason about hearing any news from our Dad's when the kitchen door opened again. Piper and Annabeth both walked in, laughing. Annabeth looked a lot more better now. Her face was back to it's original color, and she was smiling profusely. But, I noticed that even though her eyes looked happy, they still held another glint to them, a look I knew all too well; sadness.

I frowned. Now that I think about it, Annabeth's calculating gray eyes always seem to carry a sadness in them. They seem to be full of resent, which makes me think that I'm being stupid and just assuming things. Why would a supermodel like Annabeth Chase resent anything?

Annabeth glanced at Nico, who was still clutching his stomach on the floor. She pointed at him, arching an eyebrow towards us. "What happened to him?"

"Thalia," we all replied immediately, not having to take time on our answer.

Thalia grinned and winked at Annabeth. "It's really not that hard actually."

Annabeth laughed and sat down on the stool next to mine. She didn't even glance at me, not even saying anything. I frowned, wanting to ask her what was wrong, but thought better of it. She seemed to have gone through a lot. I didn't want to make her sad again.

"So, how'd you enjoy you're tour?" Jason asked Annabeth.

Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they did when she first entered the house.

"Oh my God, it was amazing. The structure of the house is absolutely incredible. And the rooms are so spacious and amazingly decorated. All of the rooms are well organized and coordinated. The high walls add so much dimension to the house. Oh, and the sky view in the entrance illuminates the place so well-" Annabeth caught herself, smiling sheepishly as her cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I really like this house," she apologized, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

We all smiled at her, glad that she liked the place.

Leo smirked. "Well, it's nice of you to say that because _I'm_ the one who designed and built this magnificent masterpiece."

I rolled my eyes, knowing perfectly well who _actually_ designed and built the place. Thalia wrinkled her nose and scrunched up a napkin.

"Liar," she said, throwing the napkin at Leo's face.

"Why would I lie about that? I never lie," he protested, flipping over a pancake.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh really? Then what was going on between you and Reyna when I entered the kitchen?"

They both froze and glanced at each other quickly.

"N-nothing," Leo stammered, blushing furiously.

"Mhm," I droned out, eyeing Reyna and Leo curiously.

Reyna turned around to look at me, her cheeks rosy. "We _swear!_ Leo was just um, checking to see of something was in my eye?" She said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Yeah? So to do that, Leo had to have both his arms wrapped around your waist?" I asked, my lips twitching.

Jason stifled a laugh beside me, and I in turn winked at him knowingly.

Reyna turned an even brighter shade of red. "Oh my fucking god, you're an idiot!" She grabbed a spoon that was on the counter and flung it at me.

I quickly raised my hand and caught it with ease. "Nice of you to show your love, Rey" I mocked, smiling knowingly.

Reyna rolled her eyes and turned back to putting food on the plates.

"All right! Breakfast is ready," Leo announced, bowing formally.

"Oh, fuck yes," groaned Jason, practically throwing Piper, who had sat down on his lap, off of him as he ran to the dining room.

I followed in suit after him, my stomach already aching for food. A nice, shiny blackish brown table sat in the middle of the room. A chandelier hung above it, casting different spots of light to dance around the room. The floor was a marble-like creamy white floor. The walls were painted a royal blue.

Annabeth soon followed, smiling bemusedly. "Why are you guys so excited to eat breakfast?"

Jason and I sat in our regular seats the moment we walked in, all ready hungry. I smiled at Annabeth.

"Once you taste Reyna and Leo's food, you'll know why," I explained. Annabeth laughed and sat down in the chair on the other side of me.

Soon, everyone came into the dining room and sat down, except for Leo and Reyna, who were bringing the food in.

Reyna and Leo both rolled separate carriage carts into the room, filled with plates of food and extra.

They both began serving each of us our plates, Reyna the girls, Leo the boys. Of course, Leo went exaggeratedly slow in serving us our plates.

"Ugh...Come _on_ Leo! You're going slow as fuck!" Nico groaned, banging his head on the table.

Leo grinned, but began giving us our heaps of food at a normal pace.

Once we got our plates, Nico, Jason and I immediately began devouring our food.

Across from Annabeth, Thalia scoffed and rolled her eyes in disgust. "Pigs," she said under her breath.

Annabeth carefully brought her fork up to her lips. The guys and I watched her expectantly. She then proceeded onto chewing the food slowly. After about 10 seconds, her eyes and face lit up in wonder and amazement.

"Oh my God, wow. This is really good. What is it?" She said, closing her eyes in bliss. Reyna and Leo both looked at each other and grinned.

"That is Leo's huevos rancheros with my special sauce," Reyna explained, pride filling her voice.

"Wow... How come I've never tasted this before? And I travel to a _lot_ different places that have many different foods," Annabeth said, shoving more food into her mouth.

"Well, have you ever tasted food from Mexico?" Asked Leo, stuffing food into his mouth. Annabeth shook her head, still relishing the taste of the food.

"Wow, looks like I have a lot to teach you about. Well my apprentice, Mexico is a country in North America-" Leo began, but was cut off by Piper.

"She knows where and what Mexico is dumbass. She just hasn't really tried food from there," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Ah, well then. I have a lot of different foods Reyna and I need to serve you. Your training will begin tomorrow," Leo said, grabbing another spoonful of food and dumping it onto his plate.

Annabeth snorted and shook her head, a smile on her face. I found myself staring at her, unable to remove my gaze from her perfect features. Her eyes were so beautiful and intelligent, anyone that would look into them would know that she isn't the typical dumb blonde **(A/N: I have nothing against blondes)** I noticed how she chewed her food slowly and carefully, the way her jaw moved in a perfect motion. I noticed how her skin, soft and smooth, practically glowed with health. Her hair shined with health and-

Next to Thalia across from me, Bianca kicked me in the shin, cutting off my daydreaming. I gave her a look, and she rolled her eyes at me. In a voice low enough so I could only hear, she said, "You're drooling, dumbass."

I immediately brought my hands up to the corner of my lips, and sure enough, I was drooling. I furiously rubbed it off with my hand, glaring at Bianca who was now snickering at me.

Choosing to ignore her, I began pouring syrup over my pancakes. Annabeth looked at me, the bottle of syrup, and then the pancakes. "You're drowning them."

I continued pouring syrup over my stack of pancakes, "I am a great swimmer and have never drowned in my life. If I can't drown, then neither can my pancakes."

Annabeth rolled her gray eyes but smiled. She then furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why are they blue?"

I smiled, finally setting down the bottle of syrup. "My Mom's favorite color was blue. She would always go out of her way to make everything I ate be blue. So, it was kind of a tradition since then," I explained, starting to cut up my pancakes.

Annabeth smiled and nodded, but then scrunched up her eyebrows again. " _Was_?"

I froze, trying hard not to wince. I couldn't talk about it, it was too painful. I felt a twinge of anger flood my nerves, and I clenched my hands hard, the metal of the knife digging into my skin.

Thalia must've noticed my expression because she cleared her throat loudly. "Um, anyway-"

"Hey Annabeth, do you wanna spar with me after breakfast for a while?" Reyna asked, glancing at me before turning back to Annabeth. I knew that look all too well; _calm down._

Annabeth shrugged, but narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why?"

Reyna shrugged. "I don't know. I think it'd be fun."

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows, but nodded. "Sure, that'd be nice,"

Leo snorted. "If you call trying to see who draws blood from the other first fun, then okay."

Nico nodded in agreement, shooting Thalia a glare. She stuck her tongue out at him, and I could tell they were both remembering what happened the last time they sparred with each other. I smirked at the memory, knowing we had to send Nico to the hospital that day.

We continued laughing and joking around, and I was getting to know Annabeth a bit more. However, I noticed she was quiet on some questions we asked her, and her eyes darkened with expressions I wouldn't expect to see on her; fear, resentment, sadness, self-consciousness, and one I _can_ actually expect to see from her, anger. But that anger seemed directed at something, _someone_ else. It was just that she wouldn't tell us who.

Nonetheless, I could see why the others wanted her in the gang. She was extremely smart and curious, with a great personality that the others seemed to enjoy. I was even starting to enjoy the blonde's company.

And I've got to admit, I was excited to see what she could do in combat.

* * *

 **So...? How was this chapter? Why did Annabeth have that reaction towards that spider like that? Besides the fact that she might be arachnephobic. I personally liked writing this chapter. And yeah, this is definitely the longest chapter I've written so far. Not all my chapters will be this long, but I'll try my best (: Please give me any feedback, suggestions, or comments! Just a heads up, I might upload late next week, so that's kinda the reason why I made this chapter so long. I'm just so busy right now and stressed but I** _promise_ **that there will be a chapter next week. Please review my lovely readers!**

 **~Kat**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I'm so excited! I finally got the Dark Prophecy from Trials of Apollo! XD This chapters not edited, so look out for mistakes :/ Here is chapter 7 to Sworn off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

After breakfast, Reyna and Thalia, who had decided to tag along, lead me downstairs to their HQ. They had left Percy and Jason to wash the dishes, which resulted in them whining in protest.

"But we _always_ wash the dishes," Jason had complained.

"That's true," Percy had agreed. "I mean, why can't Bianca or Piper do them? I mean, they're girls aren't they?"

That comment had resulted a smack upside the head from Piper and a pinch from Bianca. I grinned, shaking my head at the memory of how well they all seemed to connect. Just by watching them interact with each other, I could already tell that they cared deeply about one another. My heart ached at the thought of having anyone care about me like that, someone that would treat me like actual family.

The only family I had left was my Mom. Even though I was her only child, I had never felt like she was my actual Mother. I mean, I knew she cared about me and has always supported me, but I had never felt a Mother-Daughter connection with her. Thinking about her now, I felt a strong urge to see her.

We finally reached the hollow steel door blocking the entrance. Thalia quickly stepped forward and knocked 5 times on the door. It swung open, and we stepped inside. Reyna and Thalia then lead the way to one of the doors that was in the meeting room.

Reyna opened the door, revealing a huge room with a high ceiling, cushioned mats in various places, stuffed dummies aligned in one single row in a far corner, an obstacle course in the middle of the room, and a rack full of different weapons.

Thalia stepped into the middle of the room and spread her arms proudly. "Here we are. The room where we hack each other to death and see which one spills blood first and the room where we girls _always_ make the boys run out crying!" She announced loudly, a crazy grin on her face.

Reyna rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips twitched upward. "Come on Thals, you know we do _much_ more than send them crying."

"Ah yes... We also make them scream, groan, cry, and yelp in pain," Thalia informed, pointing a finger for each example.

I smiled and shook my head slightly. "So, this is where you guys train?"

Reyna and Thalia both nodded, smiling proudly. "Yep. This is where we test our skills to become stronger everyday," Reyna said. She then strolled over to a rack full of weapons,waving me over.

I walked over to her, rasing an eyebrow wearily. She then gestured to the rack. "Pick a weapon."

I blinked. "Um... What?"

"We're gonna practice and spar aren't we? You need to find the perfect weapon for you," she said, staring at me intently.

I inspected every weapon carefully. There were swords. No, too heavy. Bow and arrows. Nope, I just don't think that'll work for me. My eyes then laid on one weapon in particular. A dagger. It was bronze and simple, with a brown leathered hilt. Simple. Something I could never get. Even as simple as the dagger was, it was beautiful to me.

I picked up, balancing it in my hand. It was the perfect size, and fit into my hand naturally. It was also balanced perfectly. Not too heavy and not too light. Perfect. One of the words I hated most.

"I think... This one," I said to Reyna, my eyes still inspecting the dagger.

Reyna nodded in approval. "Good choice. Daggers are great for people who are smart, quick, agile. People with daggers know their opponents weaknesses, making them easier to take down. I think the dagger suits your personality perfectly."

Perfect. There's that word again. The word I know that describes something that I would never be.

Reyna picked up a sword, not seeming affected by it's weight. Then a thought hit me. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at Reyna. "Hey, why do you guys have these types of weapons anyway? I mean, don't gangs usually use guns or at least just daggers as their weapons?"

Reyna grinned slyly. "Well, Percy wanted to use these weapons to throw our enemies and rivals off guard. They aren't used to fighting against someone with weapons like these. But, we still use the gun occasionally. Me, not so much. The ones who use it the most are Percy, Jason, and Nico."

I nodded. Smart of Percy to do something like that. My thoughts and opinions about him we're still messed up. I wanted to hate him. It was his fault I was probably gonna die. It was his fault I was even here in the first place. I try hard to hate him, but a part of me just can't seem to come to that. He seems so easygoing and sort of nice, it's hard to believe he's the notorious gang leader everyone fears of getting involved with. Yet, that temper of his sure made me believe it. But, that leads me to another question; _Why haven't they killed me yet?_

Reyna and I both walked to the center of the room, still away from the obstacle course. Thalia had gone to sit down in one of the benches, watching us with intense interest. Reyna and I circled each other wearily, both of us inspecting the other carefully.

Neither of us made the first move, we just kept walking in a circle, expecting the other to make the first move. We were both smart enough to know that making the first move is usually always a bad idea. But, Reyna seemed to decide to take that risk.

She lunged at me.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After Jason and I grudgingly washed the dishes, we headed to my room. Bianca, Piper, Leo and Nico were already there, watching something intently on my TV.

When I looked at the screen, I saw what they were watching; Reyna and Annabeth were getting ready to spar.

"Have they started yet?" I asked, examining Annabeth intently as she picked out a weapon.

Nico looked at me like I was stupid. "No, dumbass. Do you see blood all over the floor yet?"

I rolled my eyes at him, taking a seat on my wheely chair.

Annabeth's eyes seem to catch something, and she picked it up; a dagger. She inspected it closely, shifting it from one hand to the other. Then she turned to Reyna, and I heard her say, "I think... This one."

I nodded in approval. The dagger seemed perfect for Annabeth. The word I used surprised me. _Perfect._ It was a word I avoided using, because I knew that nothing in this shitty world was perfect, as much as people tried to make it seem. Key word, _tried._ But it seemed like the best word to use for Annabeth. If I were to call anyone perfect, it'd be her. Everything about her seems to reflect beauty, confidence, and intelligence. She seemed a little _too_ perfect if you ask me. But I noticed, that if you look into those stormy, beautiful yet intimidating gray eyes of her, you'd see emotions that one would not expect from such a perfect person.

My thoughts shifted back to what was on the screen. Reyna and Annabeth continued circling each other, their eyes alert and focused. After about a minute, Reyna decided to make the first move. She lunged at Annabeth, slashing at her with the sword. Annabeth quickly deflected the strike with the dagger, stumbling a bit. She recovered herself and spun, slashing with the knife, but Reyna was quick. She sidestepped it, hacking at Annabeth with her sword once again. Annabeth back-flipped, attempting to kick the sword out of Reyna's grasp.

Reyna saw this coming and stepped backward. With a quick flick of her wrist, she tried to stab Annabeth. The sword was about a centimeter away from making contact with Annabeth when she blocked the strike with the knife. She pushed forward, trying to shove Reyna backwards. Reyna staggered a bit, but quickly composed herself.

"She's good," Jason muttered. I nodded in agreement. Annabeth was smart and quick. I noticed that she never used the same tactic twice, she seemed to be calculating different ways to take Reyna down, trying to see which movement made Reyna waver.

Annabeth spun, slashing at Reyna with her dagger. Once again, Reyna sidestepped it, but barely missed the weapon. Annabeth summersaulted above Reyna, her curls flying in the air. She landed behind Reyna, who was a second too late to notice that Annabeth was now behind her. Annabeth kicked Reyna in the back, sending her to the ground.

Reyna quickly turned over so she was now on her back as Annabeth lunged down at her. She pressed her dagger against Reyna's sword, who was attempting to push the dagger away. Annabeth kept pushing downward, but Reyna was strong. In one quick movement, she slid her legs under Annabeth and kicked her in the stomach, sending her toppling off of her.

Reyna quickly stood, and was now standing above Annabeth, who was sprawled on her back.

She pointed the tip of her sword against Annabeth's neck. "I win," she announced.

Annabeth grinned, and Reyna returned the smile. She held out her hand and hoisted Annabeth up. They were both panting and sweating, but despite that, Annabeth still managed to look graceful and glamorous.

"Woah, go Chase!" Thalia whooped, coming over to Annabeth and patting her on the back.

Reyna smiled and nodded. "You were good. You did very well, considering this is your first time doing this."

Thalia looked at Annabeth in wonder. "Yeah, how'd you do that? Almost none of us can try those things on Reyna that you just did. Percy's the only one that can ever beat her, and even that's rare."

I smirked and nodded. It was true. I was usually the only one that could actually beat Reyna, most times.

"I don't know, actually," I heard Annabeth admit. "My senses seemed to take over."

I nodded once again. I understood what she meant by that. Whenever I was in combat, my senses felt sharper than ever and I let my reflexes take over. My body seems to have a mind of its own, probably one of the only things keeping me alive in combat.

"And how are you so flexible and shit? Like wow," I heard Thalia ask incredulously.

Annabeth shrugged, seeming sincerely wondered herself. "I used to take gymnastics classes when I was younger. The skills seemed to have stuck with me."

Thalia laughed in amazement. "Well damn, Annabeth."

I saw Annabeth smile, but it seemed forced, making my level of curiosity rise.

"Yeah well, is it okay if I go shower? I'm sweating like a pig right now," Annabeth said, scrunching up her face in disgust.

Reyna smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I stink too. We'll walk with you upstairs if you want."

Annabeth smiled and nodded. "Thanks," then she looked down at her hand, which was still secure!y wrapped around the dagger. "Um, where do I put this?"

Reyna grinned and shook her head. "You keep it. It suits you well."

Annabeth blinked, startled, but smiled and nodded her head in thanks. Then, they all walked out the door.

Leo shut off the TV, the screen turning an inky black. He turned to face us, eyebrows raised. "Well, we know one thing for sure, she's decently good."

We all nodded in agreement. Then, they all looked at me expectantly.

"What do you think, Perce?" Jason asked, scrunching his eyebrows curiously.

I blew out a puff of air. "Well, I agree with you guys. She's good. Prettygood for a beginner. Now, to be for sure if she's in the gang, we have to see how she does in random fights that might break out of nowhere."

They all nodded, "And where would we go for that?" Piper asked, resting her chin on her fist.

I grinned slyly. "I have one place in particular that I _know_ has fights 24/7."

Nico sighed in exasperation. "Cut the shit already Percy. Where the hell are we going?"

I smiled mischievously. "Guys, we're hitting the bar."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

After I took a shower, ( _after_ checking to see if there were any eight legged monsters in there, mind you) I changed into an off the shoulder gray shirt, high waisted denim jeans, a white cardigan, and ankle high gray wedged boots.

Seeing nothing better to do, I walked into the hallway, hoping to find any of the girls, because I was bored. Also, I wanted to ask them about my killing procedure and to just get on with it. The wait was making me nervous. When people wait to do things, it makes me suspicious and watchful of that person. I never knew what they were up to if they were to wait.

But then again, waiting to do something is very smart. You have more time to plan things out, go over your plans, then double check those plans, check to see if your plan might have a flaw, and then triple check it. At least, that's what I always do.

I closed the door behind me and started walking towards the corner that led to the stairs, living room, and kitchen. Yes, I already memorized the whole place, because I never know when I need to make a run for it. It's been a habit of mine to make sure I inspect every place I'm in and try to memorize where all the hallways and rooms are, something that comes in handy most times.

I was about to turn the corner when I ran into the person I wanted to see least right now.

Percy.

I stumbled back a bit and tripped over my own feet. But before I could hit the ground, Percy's hand shot out and grabbed my arm. Immediately, I panicked and kicked him in the shin.

"What the fuck?" Percy groaned, letting go of my arm. This time, I _did_ hit the floor.

Percy peered down at me, his eyes scrunched up in confusion. "What'd you do that for? I was trying to help you."

He held out a hand for me to take, but I recoiled from his touch.

"P-please don't touch me," I whispered, cursing myself for stuttering. Percy's curious frown deepened, and I was afraid he might start asking questions. To my relief, he just shrugged. I let out a sigh of utter relief and stood up, my legs shaking slightly.

Percy was about to walk past me when he stopped and turned to face me. "Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that we're going somewhere."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "Where are we going exactly?"

Percy grinned slyly. "A bar."

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

Everyone quickly got themselves situated, each bringing their favorite weapon with them, while Annabeth was oblivious to it all. When I had told her where we were going, she was suspicious at first, but thankfully Piper had come along and said, "it's just for fun," and shot Annabeth a warm smile. Annabeth seemed to relax at Piper's words and smile, and agreed to go.

She seemed to be...tense around me. As if she expected me to pull out my gun and shoot her everytime I was near her. I'll admit, I could understand why she didn't trust me. I mean, I was after all going to "kill" her. But now, the thoughts of that were starting to waver a lot lately.

But that sort of tense energy was different. It wasn't that she was afraid of well, _me_ exactly. There was something else scaring her, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

I had caught Annabeth stuffing her dagger into her purse, for which I was relieved she did. If a fight was gonna break out, she'd have to use her weapon, and it'd seem suspicious to tell her to bring it if I did.

Without a word to each other, we all went outside through the back door. In the backyard, there was a huge building. Inside were some of our boats, helicopters, and cars. We went in, but instead of piling into a helicopter, we decided for something more practical; a car.

We all climbed into a a sleek black SUV, enough room for all of us. I got on the wheel while Annabeth decided to sit in the passengers seat. Slightly surprised by this, I raised an eyebrow at her, which she returned with a cold look in her eyes and a strained smile.

Deciding to ignore this, I turned back to the wheel. I exited the huge garage door, which led to a pathway that was completely deserted.

I pulled into the path and began driving towards the bar, enjoying the comfortable silence. But of course, that silence was cut short thanks to Leo.

"Percy," Leo whined. "Thalia keeps elbowing me."

"Because you won't move over you bastard. You literally have so much space over there!" Thalia growled, ramming her elbow into Leo's ribs.

"Okay, okay. No need to get mad Pinecone Face," Leo mumbled.

Thalia glared at him and shoved Leo closer to Reyna, who was conveniently sitting next to. Leo blushed and mumbled a sorry, then shot a pointed look at Thalia, who was wearing a shit-eating smirk on her face.

Annabeth chuckled softly next to me. "Are they always like this?" She asked, facing me.

I grinned. "Who? Thalia and Leo? Yeah, but if it's not Leo, then it's her and Nico," I replied, shaking my head.

Annabeth laughed, a sound that seemed to fill up the car with joy. My mouth twitched at the reaction, something she caught out if the corner of her eye. She smiled, but her expression quickly turned back to being guarded.

She cleared her throat. "Um, what's the name of this bar we're heading to?"

I smiled dryly, something I've been doing alot since Annabeth arrived. Usually I was always wearing a frown, something I tried to get rid of but couldn't. The experiences in my life have changed everything about me. And I hate it.

"It's called The Blue Bell," I answered, facing the road.

I saw Annabeth roll her eyes out of the corner of my eye. "Of _course_ it has the word 'blue' in it," she smiled.

I chuckled and shrugged. "I swear that has _nothing_ to do with it."

Annabeth laughed, that beautiful sound that made her face light up with beauty. _Thats it._ Im attracted to her because of her looks. That's the only reason I like her. I have no rules against liking girls because of their appearances. This is fine.

"How long til we get there anyway? You guys literally live in the middle of nowhere," Annabeth said, looking out her window to see the valleys and trees.

"Actually, it's only half an hour away from here," I responded, shrugging.

Annabeth turned to face !even with wide eyes. "What the _hell?_ That can't be possible. You guys live so far away from the city. How can there be a bar only half an hour away from here?"

I smiled mysteriously. "We have many surprises."

She snorted, "Thats for sure."

She then lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers. She spoke in a voice so soft and quiet I almost didn't hear her. But I did.

"When are you guys gonna do it?"

It was such a vague question, but I understood it immediately. _She's asking when we're going to kill her._

She raised her head to look at me, her gray eyes cloudy with sadness and...anger?

Instead of answering, I gave her a strained smile. _Survive this and then we'll see._

I turned back to the road, and the rest of the ride was filled with complete silence. Something I did not enjoy.

* * *

We finally arrived at the bar. The building was tall and wide, with stone walls and shiny black doors you had to push to open. Big blue neon lights in cursive writing hung above the doorway reading, _The Blue Bell._

We got out of the car and filed into the building. The place was pretty full. There were many tables filled with people and a couple sitting on stools where the counter was. The counter was lit by lights, illuminating the glasses and drinks set up on the wall bebhind the counter. Waiters and waitresses were scurrying across the place, carrying some food and drinks on their trays. The place was dark, which was perfect. It would be harder for people to recognize us and we didn't have to go through trying to change our appearances. Also, that would've raised a higher suspicion with Annabeth. And we did _not_ want that.

I knew she could tell we were up to something. She kept studying us carefully, calculating our every word and movement. The way she looked at each one of us was clearly saying that she knew we were planning something. But soon, she would find out.

We made our way over to the counter and sat on the stools. Immediately, Nico, Leo and Thalia ordered some shots, trying to see which could finish them first. I gave them a warning glance, a sign to tell them not get too carried away with the drinking. Thalia looked at me with a bored expression and waved at me dismissively.

I turned towards the bartender, a guy in his mid-twenties with blonde hair and hazel eyes. "A beer please," I ordered. He nodded and turned towards Piper and Jason, who both ordered beers too.

I faced Annabeth, who was studying people at different tables. "Do you want anything?" I asked.

She faced me, her eyes looking me over carefully. "No thanks, I'm fine."

I shrugged and turned towards the bartender, who was now back with our drinks. He distributed them swiftly and quickly. He then turned towards Annabeth, flashing her a charming smile. "And what can I get for you, pretty lady?" He asked her smoothly.

Annabeth visibly stiffened and her eyes turned cold. "Nothing, thank you."

The guy's smile wavered, as if he wasn't used to girls shutting him out so quickly. He gave her a strained smile and went to attend some other customers.

Annabeth still seemed tense about what and happened, her eyes darting to different people alarmingly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, then reached out to grab her hand. "Are you okay?"

She quickly shot her hand backwards and glared at me. "I'm fine," she snapped.

I arched my eyebrows, surprised by her sudden outburst. Instead of questioning her on it, I took a long sip of my drink.

I turned towards the front door, watching people entering. I took another long full drink, and almost choked when I saw who entered next.

I turned towards Reyna, who was sitting on the other side of me watching Thalia, Nico and Leo swiftly downing their shots in one gulp, a _what the fuck?_ look on her face.

I nudged her roughly. She turned her head sharply and glared at me.

In a stiff voice, I said, "They're here."

* * *

 **Yeah yeah, I was a little late in uploading this chapter, but I've been busy this week. I've had MAP testing and been going to places all week. I'm tired. But anyways... What did you guys think of this chapter? I know it was short but like I said, I'm _tired._ Excuse any mistakes in this, sorry for that. Do me a big favor and leave a review please! I love the feedback! AND HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAYYY! GIVE UR MOM'S HUGS AND KISSES!**

 **~Kat :D**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! So, this update is kinda early. This is because I finished writing this chappie early, so I said, "why wait?" So...yeah :D So, this chapter consists more action involved and a somewhat protective Percy (; So, if you guys were hoping for some of that, this is the chapter for it ((:**

 **Hope u did well: Thank you! I actually did pretty well and I'm rather proud if myself ((:**

 **Guest: I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying this story! It makes me so happy to hear that! As for your request, I might try to upload twice a week once school's over for the year. I'm just so busy right now with school and all, I don't think I can upload twice a week yet. But maybe as soon as summer break begins, I'll try (:**

 **Here's chapter 8 to Sworn off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for plot and ideas ((:**

 **Percy's POV:**

* * *

 _In a stiff voice, I said, "They're here."_

Reyna peered over my shoulder to look at the entryway, and her eyes widened immediately. Her dark orbs gleamed with panic, excitement, and determination; the way they always do when she knows a fights gonna break out.

I looked back at the entrance, watching the gang look around the place with a sense of authority. There were ten of them, an even number of five girls and five boys. Each wore a black bandana, some around their heads, others tied around their wrists. A clear sign that they were all in the same gang. Everyone around this area knew who they were, because this area was considered "their territory."

It was different with my gang. Since we were known and feared throughout the whole nation and had members all over the U.S, we didn't have one specific area to call our own. Our "territory" was basically anywhere in the U.S.

The Haunters. That was their gang name. Stupid one, but I could see where they got their name from. They literally seemed to haunt this part of New York. They appeared out of nowhere, and would usually scare the shit out of _most_ people. They were a minor gang, not that ruthless, but were still well known throughout the city.

Their leader, Bryce Willis, looked around the place, a smirk on his face as he watched some of the people's faces turn as white as paper. He was somewhat tall, with black hair cut into a buzz cut, amber eyes, a black studded earring on his right ear, and muscles that clearly showed he was on steroids. He wore a chain hanging from his jeans, and had his black bandana tied around his head.

I looked back at my friend's. They must've noticed them walk in too, because Thalia, Nico and Leo had stopped drinking, and all of them were staring at the entrance. They all had an excited glint in their eyes, the way they do when we're in a room or near another gang.

Normally, other gangs would begin to get nervous if another gang was close. Mine? No. Instead, they got _happy_ that another gang was near us, because they all knew a fight would most likely break out and we'd win. It was actually quite amusing if you were to watch how their faces contorted into crazy grins and smirks when they noticed another gang. I felt quite relaxed and sure when another group was close. Like I said, my gang _always_ wins. But that doesn't mean we are immortal and can never get hurt during fights. Or worse, some of us _do_ get killed.

I peered over at Annabeth beside me. I was surprised to find that she was staring at The Haunters with a look of curiosity and interest. No nervous or scared gleam in her eyes. Nope. Instead, she looked at them as if she were observing a science experiment, just waiting to see what would set them off.

Bryce Willis looked in our direction, and when he saw my sea green and black bandana wrapped around my head, his amber eyes flashed nervously. He can't really recognize me as Percy Jackson right now, because the dim glint in the bar most likely made my features lighter, and even befote this, id slipped on some blue eye contacts. Right now, he only sees Riptide, because he recognizes my bandana. The same with my other members, all their known features were contorted into something different because of the lighting, along with some contacts they'd put on as well. They wouldn't be recognized as their well known selves.

But just as quickly as that nervous glint had come, it disappeared. An easy smirk settled into his face and he whispered something to his second-in-command, a guy named Zachery Ellis. Zac had sandy blonde hair, forest green eyes, a silver earring on his left ear, and a body that looked like he _actually_ worked out and wasn't on steroids.

As Bryce whispered into his ear, Zac's eyes widened and he took a quick glance in our direction. His eyes glinted wearily for a second, but disappeared as an amused and sly grin spread across his face, revealing pearly white teeth.

I rolled my eyes, knowing that whatever Bryce was whispering to him was just bullshit. Bryce's and Zac's gazes flickered to Annabeth, their eyes raking down her body like she was a piece of delicious meat.

Anger bubbled inside of me, and I immediately tried to calm down the fury building up in me. Except, I couldn't help it. The way they looked at her made me clench my teeth and fists in anger. They looked like they were undressing her with their eyes, and I had a strong urge to go over to them and punch them senseless.

Annabeth noticed my discomfort and peered at me through her long eyelashes. Her eyes flashed with concern and confusion, the lights making them look like a sky blue. "Are you alright? You look like you're gonna murder somebody."

 _You have no idea._ "I'm fine," I reassured her through gritted teeth. Annabeth didn't look convinced. She gave me one last confused look and turned back to watch The Haunters.

I forced my body to relax. At least a million people have looked at Annabeth. She's a supermodel after all. Millions of guys had ogled over her body and features. Millions of guys have wanted to undress this beautiful woman. These were just two more among many.

My thoughts were interrupted when Reyna nudged me. I looked up at her and she nodded her head towards the direction of Bryce and his gang, who were confidently striding towards us now.

I took a nonchalant sip of my beer, my eyes never leaving Bryce's. He finally reached me and stopped a few feet in front of me. He crossed his meaty arms over his chest and stared me down. Zac stood next to him, his eyes not paying one look at me. Instead, they were wandering all over Annabeth's body, who had stiffened once she noticed his gaze on her.

"So, Riptide, pleasure seeing you here. What brings you to this place?" Bryce asked, an easy smirk on his face.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I was in the mood for a drink, and the closest place I could find was this one." I replied, raising my beer in the air.

Zac spoke this time, his eyes landing on Annabeth's chest. "And where'd you find this blonde beauty? Such a pretty girl shouldn't be hanging out with a group of people like you now, should she?"

I glared at him, even though his eyes never left Annabeth's body. "And what are you suggesting? That she hang out with you guys? You're no better than us."

Zac's gaze flickered to Annabeth's face, his eyes then landing on her lips, which were set in a tight line. Even though I wasn't touching Annabeth, I could practically feel her body as stiff as a statue. Her eyes, instead of glinting with curiosity, were now flashing with panic and nervousness. The way her demeanor had changed in less than seconds confused me. Just a minute ago she was fine, cool, collected, and confident. Now, she looked like a lost puppy, scared, nervous, and panicked, unsure of what to do. It was the same look she got whenever I was about to touch her, as if I had a knife in my hand and was about to slice her with it. This time though, no one had threatened to touch her. It was Zac's perverted stare that had set her off.

"Maybe so, but we're not feared by the entire country and kill people senseless everyday. Besides, this girl looks quite familiar, like I've seen her in many places before," Zac said, studying Annabeth's eyes, hair, and then settling on the little bit of cleavage she was showing.

"I get that a lot," Annabeth spoke, her voice shaking the tiniest bit.

Zac smiled, but not in a kind way. It was a smile that knew she was lying, and he would find out the truth sooner or later.

"So, mind if we order some drinks? I mean, that's what we came here for after all," Bryce said, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"Sure, go right ahead. No one's gonna stop you," I said, a dry smirk on my face. A fight would break out. Sooner or later, a fight was bound to break loose. No matter who started it.

Usually, Thalia or Reyna were the ones who started them with other gangs. This was because of their snappy attitude and violent selves. Either someone offended them, the person pissed them off, they were defending one of us, or they just wanted to fight someone.

Today, it was me who started it.

And who had I defended?

The only person that's been making my feelings and emotions feel like they were in a blender.

Annabeth.

Bryce and Zac walked towards the counter while the rest of some of his gang members departed to find a table for all of them.

Bryce and Zac moved on either side of me. So of course, Zac was standing next to Annabeth.

He ordered his drink, but instead of going to the table the rest of his members had found, he sat on the other side of Annabeth. He winked at her and grinned charmingly, which she returned with an obviously strained smile.

She shot me a look of panic, her body still and a fake smile plastered on her face. I shot her a look, shrugging my shoulders. Her body relaxed the tiniest bit, and she exhaled slowly. Her lips curled into a weary smile.

I'd make sure she was safe. One way or another.

* * *

The bartender finally gave Zac his drink, along with Bryce's. But even after they got their drinks, they still remained near us. Bryce went over to sit next to Zac, so I could no longer see him.

After about 5 minutes, Zac made a mistake.

Zac had started a friendly conversation with Annabeth, which made her relax more. I paid no attention to what they were talking about, and I didn't really care. Either way, Annabeth still seemed tense and nervous, her eyes flickering all around the bar.

I was now onto my second drink when I took a long sip of it. Annabeth laughed at something Zac had said, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand land on her knee. I froze. Annabeth stiffened and her laughter suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zac asked lightly, in what I assumed, a seductive voice. His hand inched up her bare leg.

"Stop," Annabeth said firmly. Her tone obviously showed that she was terrified, yet she still glared at Zac with a fiery glint in her eyes.

Despite her protest, Zac's hand kept riding up her leg, his eyes flashing hungrily.

Annabeth tried to push his hand off, but it wouldn't budge. She obviously wasn't using all her strength for it, because during her fight with Reyna, she seemed strong. It wasn't that she seemed to be enjoying what Zac was doing to her. At least, it didn't look like it. Instead, she seemed so terrified, she couldn't seem to find her strength.

I hadn't been able to react. What was I supposed to do? I was still frozen, my eyes never leaving Zac's hand as it crawled up Annabeth's smooth leg. It was until Annabeth shot me a look of pure panic that I was able to start thinking clearly. She squeezed her eyes shut, a loose tear running down her cheek. "Percy, please. Stop him," she whispered, desperation in her voice.

I tightened my grip around my now empty beer bottle. I squeezed so hard, the bottle broke, glass spilling all over the floor.

"Don't. Touch. Her."

They were just three simple words. Yet they were filled with so much anger Zac's eyes flashed with fear. But quickly, he composed himself, letting a sly grin slide onto his face. He ran a finger over Annabeth's arm, letting his other hand slide higher up her thigh.

"Why? This girl's so sexy. I think she's coming home with me tonight." Zac announced, winking at Annabeth and sliding her onto his lap with ease.

"Stop," Annabeth pleaded again as Zac's lips ghosted over her neck, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

It was just those actions, those words she said, that set me off.

I stood up and towered over Zac, who was smirking at me slyly, fear still evident in his green eyes.

"Let. Her. Fucking. Go." I seethed, my fists clenching at my sides. The rest of my members were now on either side of me, each one glaring at Zac murderously.

"I don't think so," Zac said, finally attacking Annabeth's neck with his mouth. Annabeth began sobbing, thrashing around in Zac's grip.

Red. That was the only color I could see right now. Everything was red right now.

I stormed forward and quickly disentangled Annabeth from his deathly grip. She immediately walked over to the girls and began shaking violently, tears streaming down her face. Piper hugged Annabeth and gave me a look that clearly said, _kill him._

That was something I would gladly do.

I looked back at Zac, who was now frowning disappointedly, yet his eyes still flashed hungrily as they raked down Annabeth's body once again.

I clenched my jaw and trembling fists and let my fury take over, I swung my fist, connecting it with Zac's jaw. He fell out of his seat and onto the ground. His hand clutched his jaw as he glared daggers at me.

"Do you not know when to fucking stop? I told you to stop touching her and let her go, but being the asshole and dumbass you are, kept harassing her. You're a fucking dick," I seethed, kicking Zac in the stomach. He groaned in response and rolled over, now on his other side. He muttered incoherently and reached out for Bryce, who had been watching the scene in shocked silence.

Bryce got up and went over to me, shoving me backwards. "What the fuck is your problem? Any guy who wasn't stupid would obviously take advantage of that girl. Are you stupid?"

I growled in response and punched Bryce in the stomach. He staggered a bit, but didn't fall. He swung his fist at me and I ducked. The rest of the members from Bryce's gang were now standing on either side of him, their eyes flashing with rage.

I looked around the place, noticing that everyone had evacuated the building. Zac stood up scowling at me, his jaw now bruised. "You're gonna fucking pay for that," he spat, rolling his neck from side to side.

And with just those words, all hell broke loose.

I rushed forward and pushed Zac against the bar counter. I punched him in the stomach and then in the face. Suddenly, I felt two meaty arms attempt to shove me off. Bryce. He threw me off Zac, sending me crashing onto one of the tables. It broke, sending me tumbling to the floor. Bryce pounced on me, his eyes now filled with anger. Just as he was about to punch me, Jason stormed towards us and shoved Bryce off me. Jason kicked him in the stomach and gave him a few punches in the face.

I looked around, noticing that now both gangs were fighting one another. I saw Thalia throw one girl across the room like a rag doll, sending her flying into a booth. The girl didn't get back up. I smirked. _Thats my Thalia._ Reyna had drawn out her sword and was now battling against a guy twice her size with rippling muscles, who was fighting Reyna with one of the table legs he'd probably ripped off. Reyna kicked him in the stomach, making him stumble backwards. She took advantage of this and slashed at him with her sword, blood now dripping from the side of his stomach. Bianca and Nico were both fighting hand-to-hand combat against a guy and a girl, who looked like siblings too. Leo had lit a match and had set one guy on fire, who was rolling around on the floor writhing and groaning in pain while Leo stood over him grinning like a maniac. Piper was fighting against one girl with her dagger, Katroptis, she'd named it. Piper slashed at the girl, drawing blood from her cheek.

Then I realized I couldn't see Annabeth.

I looked around for her, desperate to see at least a glimpse of her blonde curls. Nothing. I glanced back at Jason, who was on top of Bryce and was pummeling him senseless. "Storm!"

Jason turned to face me, a crazy smile on his face. "What?"

I gestured around. "I have to go look for Annabeth, I don't see her anywhere."

Jason's eyes widened, and he nodded. "Go."

I turned around and had took about five steps forward when I was yanked back. My attacker threw me across the room, sending me crashing against the counter of the bar. The edge of the counter hit against my back hard, sure to leave a bruise. My head spun, but I quickly shook it off. I glanced up to see the person who had thrown me.

Zac.

He stalked towards me, his eyes flashing murderously. Before I could react, he punched me across the face. I held onto the counter for support, sure that I would collapse if I didn't hold on to something.

Zac continued scowling at me. He punched me in the stomach. "This is for not fucking letting me even finish talking to her. I was sure to get laid by today. Because of you, she got away. You're gonna pay for that you dick." With each word, I received one punch in the stomach.

My head was swimming, but I refused to let the vertigo get to me. I've dealt with worse. _Much_ worse.

Just as he was about to punch me across the face again, I quickly slid my legs underneath him and kicked, sending him tumbling to the floor. I swung myself over the counter, now on the other side of it. Zac got up and picked up one chair that was strewn across the floor. He heaved it at me, and I ducked, letting the chair crash into the wall behind me. I heard Zac's footsteps come near, and when he peeked over the counter, I grabbed one of the wine glasses and threw it at him. Glass shattered against his face, leaving scratches and blood all over it.

"Fuck!" He groaned, grabbing his face.

I took advantage of his vulnerability, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and flipping him over the counter, letting him hit the ground with a painful grunt. I kicked him in the stomach a few times, and then yanked him back up. I shoved him roughly against the wall and punched him in the stomach, each hit emitting a painful groan from Zac.

"I told you to stop touching her, but you didn't listen. Now you've learned your lesson. Too bad you won't live to show me what you've learned," I whispered into his ear. With that, I reached under the counter and brought out a beer bottle. His eyes widened once he saw me raising it above his head, and opened his mouth to say something. I quickly cut him off by bringing the bottle down into his head. His head went slack and slumped against his chest, along with the rest of his body. I let him go, letting him fall to the floor in a messy puddle of blood.

I suddenly remembered who I had been trying to look for in the first place and looked into the room. The first thing I noticed were the bodies strewn across the floor, blood dripping from each of their body's. Luckily, none of them belonged to any of my members. There were only about six dead. Including Bryce. Thalia and Reyna were working to finish off one guy, while Piper and Jason were also finishing off one girl too. I scanned the room, knowing that Annabeth still had to be here.

To my delight, I saw blonde curls peeking out from one corner of the room. I was about to rush over to her when she let out an angry growl and flipped someone over her shoulder like nothing. The guy landed at her feet, groaning in pain. The guy was a lot bigger than Annabeth, that's for sure. He had messy brown hair and bulging muscles. He managed to grab Annabeth's foot, attempting to yank her to the floor as well. She yelped in surprise, making me start to run forward to help her. Instead, surprising me all over again, she drew her dagger out of nowhere and stabbed the guy in the arm he had grabbed her with. The guy screamed in agony, and rolled around, clutching his arm. Annabeth must've hit a vein, because after about thirty seconds, the guy stopped moving, his eyes wide open.

I grinned in appreciation. Damn. This girl _can_ fight. Thalia must've seen it happen to because she let out a low whistle. _"_ Once again, go _Chase._ Way to defend yourself. You sure taught that guy a lesson."

My gang members had either finished everyone off, or some of them had scattered and escaped, because now the place was alone except for us and a few dead bodies. We were all grinning in approval at Annabeth. She, on the other hand, looked absolutely horrified.

She glanced down at the guy she had just killed and then back up at us. She looked like she was trying hard not to start sobbing. She looked at me straight in the eye, hers shining with fear, anger, and nervousness.

"Please take me back."

* * *

The drive back home was silent. No one said a word. Just silent conversations with one another with each other's eyes. Silent understandings passed from one another. Just _not a single word._

After we had left, Leo had lit up one single go match and burned down the place, the bodies still inside. At least four of The Haunters had managed to escape, that much we knew.

Annabeth had not spoken a single word after she had asked if we could take her back to HQ. Her expression was impassive, showing no emotion whatsoever. The same with her eyes. You could tell how she was feeling just by looking at those beautiful, intimidating eyes. But right now, they were as blank as a piece of white paper.

I kept my eyes on the road, not wanting to look at the others because I knew what they were all trying to ask me; _is she in?_

Annabeth was a good fighter, that's for sure. The only problem with her is that she shuts down and becomes a completely different person when someone, a _man_ to be specific, touches or tries to touch her. I knew it was only with guys when she got that way, because she hugged and seemed to interact physically with the girls well. It seemed that she became terrified when a man tried to touch her, even if she knew the guy fairly well. It was weird to me. Why would she react like that? Did something happen to her that made her act like this? I doubt it. I don't think Annabeth Chase would ever have guy problems, or even a bad history with men. She was a fucking _supermodel_ for fuck's sake. So why should she get scared if one tried to _hold her hand?_

We finally arrived at the house. I parked into the garage in silence, still no one saying a word. Without looking at me or anyone, Annabeth got out, and walked to the exit of the garage, striding outside into the meadow.

The rest of my friends held back though. None of them tried to go outside. They just stood there. Waiting. Waiting for me to decide if Annabeth was going to join The Olympians.

Nico sighed in irritation, rolling his eyes. "Okay, if no one's saying anything, I'll cut to the shit. Percy, is Annabeth joining the gang or not?"

I smiled faintly, knowing Nico had always been an impatient person. I stared at the floor, not meeting their eyes.

"Well? Percy, we don't have all _fucking_ day. Is she in or not?" Thalia demanded after about twenty seconds of silence, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at me expectantly, her bright blue eyes looking more electrifying than usual.

I sighed heavily and leaned against the side of the car, folding my arms over my chest. "Okay guys. Listen, I just don't know. What if letting Annabeth join is a mistake? What if she causes something that messes up this gang? I don't want to be the one to decide if she enters or not, and then having her do something wrong. All because _I_ let her in. I don't want to do that to you guys."

 _Also, you don't want to see her get hurt,_ another part of me reminded myself.

 _Shut up._

I looked up to see their expressions. They all looked thoughtful and their eyes had softened a bit. Finally Piper spoke up, gently touching my arm. "Percy, you _always_ do what's best for this gang. I can't recall a time where you've let us down. You being leader makes you take up a lot of responsibilities and choices, but you've never failed to keep up with them and make the right decision. Percy, whatever you decide, I _know_ it will be the correct choice." Piper looked at the others for support. They all nodded agreement, faint smiles on their faces.

I smiled down at Piper, letting her words soak in. _Whatever you decide, I_ know _it will be the correct choice._ That meant a lot to me. It _was_ a lot of work and pressure being gang leader, especially if it's the most known throughout the U.S. it I know that all these people have helped me through my decisions and responsibilities. That's why I don't want to let them down.

I sighed and chuckled with disbelief. "Thanks Pipes, but I've got to make sure of one thing first,"

They all looked at me expectantly. Bianca rolled her hands as if to say, _well?_

"Do _you_ guys want Annabeth in the gang?"

They all looked at each other, having silent conversations with their eyes. Finally, they all smiled in agreement and nodded at me.

I sighed, knowing that would be their decision after all. I spread my arms and shrugged. "Well guys, I guess Annabeth's in The Olympians now."

* * *

After we had gone inside, along with Annabeth of course, we all dispersed. Annabeth immediately went up to the room she was staying in and shut the door. Before I could go after her, Bianca, who had stayed behind, pulled me by the arm. "She's a little freaked out about what happened at the bar. Go easy on her with this news. I doubt she'll be calm about that."

I nodded and kissed the top of Bianca's forehead, making her smile and punch my arm playfully. None of us had gotten badly injured because of the fight. Just a few scratches and bruises, but no injuries, thank God. Everyone had gone to take a shower, but I think I'll wait for that until _after_ I talk to Annabeth, because I doubt we'll get through that conversation without any arguments involved.

* * *

I slowly made my way up to Annabeth's room, contemplating on how I'd break the news to her. Would she get mad? Would she cry? Would she throw something at me? Would she hit me? Probably all four.

I reached her door and knocked softly on it. I heard a sniffle and then a muffled, "Come in."

I opened the door and saw Annabeth sitting on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the floor, her face still expressionless.

She looked up at me, her eyes red from what I assumed crying. Even with bloodshot eyes, a red nose, and clammy cheeks, she still managed to look as radiant as ever. She narrowed her now angry gray eyes at me. "What do you want?"

I rolled my eyes and stepped into the room. "Hello to you too, Miss Chase," I muttered sarcastically, closing the door gently behind me. Her eyes immediately widened in fear and she scooted farther away from me. I quickly held up my hands in surrender. "Relax, relax. I'm not gonna do anything to you, I just came to bring you some news."

Annabeth's shoulders relaxed, but she still studied me wearily. I sighed and looked at her in the eye. "Miss Chase," I began, not breaking eye contact. "I want you to join The Olympians."

* * *

 **Oh. My. Gods. What's** **she gonna do? What's Annabeth gonna say? Will she accept? Or will she fake it and try to find a way to escape? Who knows? Well, I do of course XD So, I really liked writing this chapter, it was fun to write about a protective Percy (; What are your guy's thoughts? Hows the length of this chapter? I think I'll try to make them this long. Not too short, not too long ((: Please leave a review! I read every single one (:**

 **~Kat**


	10. Chapter 9

**Happy early update everyone! I was just too impatient to wait to update after I got out of school on Friday XD So, I hadn't noticed that I'd put the name of the last chapter, "chapter 9" until someone in the reviews pointed it out XD lmao so sorry for that, I fixed it now. And thank you for all your kind reviews, they literally make my day ((: Let me take about a minute to recognize these awesome reviews that bring a smile to my face :D**

 **0143:** Thank you so so much for that comment! I'm so happy to hear that! I'm very very happy that you're enjoying this story so far, it means a lot to me ((:

 **Guest:** Yeah, it _should_ be chapter 8, but I was too stupid to notice that I put it as 9 XD And who knows?... Maybe Annabeth will, or will not join. In this chappie, you'll find out (;

 **Guest:** Yep, they'll definitely be more protective Percy in this story, cuz a gang leader's gotta show what's his right? (;

 **PTJackson** : Yeah, I don't really know that much about them :/ so, do you think you could give me more information and details about them? That would really be a lot of help (:

 **So thank you all for those kind reviews! I smile so crazily when I get them :D Excuse any mistakes in this :/ I was too lazy to edit it and fix any mishaps, so sorry about that. And now, here's chapter _9,_ for real this time,to Sworn off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: Do I even have to say it? I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

 _"Miss Chase," Percy had begun, looking at me straight in the eyes. "I want you to join The Olympians."_

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

He's joking. He _had_ to be joking. No way in hell was I ever going to join a gang. _Especially_ one that's wanted by the entire nation. I waited for Percy to flash me a boyish grin and yell, "Ha! I'm just kidding!" But he didn't, as much as I wanted him to. The serious look in his eyes and face let me know that he was _not_ pulling a prank on me. And that scared the living daylights out of me.

After staring at Percy for about ten seconds, his intense gaze never leaving mine, I began to laugh. It was an obnoxious laugh. One that pushed aside the silence and tried to make everything about his words seem like this was all one joke. A very mean joke.

Percy's eyebrows furrowed bemusedly, while his green orbs flashed with irritation, shock, and confusion.

When Percy didn't laugh with me, my laughter began to die down, morphing into more of a nervous, awkward chuckle.

"You're kidding right?"

Percy's face hardened and became serious once again. "Miss Chase, I would never joke about asking someone to join my gang. And this is not an option. You are joining The Olympians."

I stared at him, my once nervous and panicked demeanor being replaced by anger. Rage. He had to be fucking kidding me.

I laughed once more, but it was definitely _not_ full of humor. Instead, it sounded bitter, annoyed, angry. I looked at Percy in the eyes once more, my face hardening. " _Not an option?_ Who do you think I am? Some lowlife bitch that doesn't have anything to do, so you just decide that she'll agree to join a fucking gang? Are you such an idiot that you forgot that I actually had a life before you dragged me over here? I'm not a fucking damsel in distress, Percy. I have a career to look after. I have a whole company that's supposed to be handed down to me! Why would I ever join a fucking gang that's being wanted over the whole damn country-?"

"Because you have no other fucking choice!" Percy seethed, glaring at me with such anger, I almost flinched. No. I'm not going to be scared of him. I'm not giving him the satisfaction of it. _Never._ Even if he's the most wanted person in the U.S.

I narrowed my eyes at Percy and opened my mouth to say something smart, when he cut me off. "Would you rather die? Is that what you want? Because from what I see, that's the only other option you have. You know too much Miss Chase, I can't let you go back out in the world with you knowing already so much about us."

I pondered over his words. It did make sense, but no way in hell was I gonna tell him that. I still don't want to join his stupid gang, no matter if the other option is being killed. I looked back up at him, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrows raised expectantly, his gaze still stone cold.

I stood up from the bed and walked over to him until I was standing right in front of him. Even though he still towered over me, I held my ground and crossed my arms over my chest, leaning on one leg. I narrowed my eyes at him, looking at him straight in those mesmerizing green eyes.

"And what about my career? Will I ever be able to see my Mother or friends again?"

Percy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked tired, but not in a way that made bags grow under his eyes and his shoulders slump. It was in a way that let me know he's been through a lot in his life, and let me know he knows what he's doing.

"We'll discuss more about that later. And you will get to see your Mother and friends, just not as often as usual."

I opened my mouth to say something but hesitated. Really, the only thing I cared about was if I would continue to go on with my career. I was worried about what my friends and Mother are doing right now. Are they looking for me? Are they worried about me? Do they think I'm dead?

"And if I do join your gang, how are you so sure I won't go to the authorities and tell them about your gang and who's running it? I'm sure they'd love to know who's the leader behind the gang that's murdered millions, robbed tons of banks, vandalized so much property, and made people cower when they hear the name The Olympians," I said, never breaking eye contact.

Percy's gaze hardened once again. He stepped closer to me and lowered his head so it was right next to mine. It took all my will power not to flinch, step back, or start shaking in fear. I would _not_ be showing Percy that I was scared of him. Not today, not any day.

His breath tickled my ear, making me stiffen immediately.

"I'll make sure you don't."

My eyes widened. What did he mean by that? Was he _threatening_ me? No way in _hell_ were his words going to make me want to join his stupid, fucking, shitty, idiotic-

He stepped back, a slight smirk on his face. I clenched my jaw and fists in anger. Did he really think he could convince me so easily? If he did, this guy must be seriously stupid.

"So, Miss Chase, are you still going to argue? Do you agree about joining The Olympians?"

I glared at him furiously. "Yes and _no_ ," I spat through gritted teeth.

Not waiting for him to say anything else, I stormed past him and out the door, slamming it behind me.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I stood there, stunned as she stormed past me and out the door, slamming it forcefully behind her. _No?_ Did she just say _no?_

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. After all that debating and arguing, she tells me _no?_

I let out a low growl and turned around, walking towards the door. I swung it open, making the doorknob slam against the wall, sure to leave a dent.

I stepped out into the hall and began walking down the hallway to my left. I ran a frustrated and angry hand through my hair, huffing furiously. _Now what the hell was I supposed to do? Does that girl not know that her only other option is dying?_

I rounded the corner and opened the door to Piper's room, not bothering to knock. Unsurprisingly, I found her and Jason having an intense make out session, Piper straddling Jason on her bed. Both shirts were discarded on the floor, but at this point, I didn't care. I've walked in on them naked, so this was nothing.

I slammed the door behind me, making them both jump in alarm. In his panic, Jason shoved Piper off of him, sending her falling to the floor. Piper groaned in annoyance and pain, quickly sitting up and retrieving their shirts. She glared at Jason, even though he was oblivious to her death stare. Jason sat up and eyed me wearily, noticing how my fists kept clenching and unclenching.

"I take it your talk with Annabeth didn't go so well?"

I growled angrily again, storming over to one of Piper's furry stools. I picked it up and threw it across the room, sending it smashing into the wall.

Piper, now having her shirt put on, eyed her wall, which now had a visible dark scratch on it, irritation and worry flashing in her color changing eyes. "What happened?"

I looked around the room, trying to find something else to throw. My eyes settled on one of Piper's small couches, but I doubt she'd like me flinging those across the room.

"She fucking said _no,_ " I seethed, running my hand through my already messy hair angrily.

Piper and Jason shared a look of surprise and weariness. Piper walked up to me, resting her hand on my arm. "Percy, let's talk about this, but first, you need to calm down. Relax."

Her voice had a soothing tone to it, making my breathing slow down and my muscles relax. I sighed and walked over to Piper's bed, slumping down on the edge of it.

"Percy," Jason started calmly "What happened?"

I put a hand over my face and lay across Piper's bed, just wanting to curl up, take a nap, and forget that I had ever met Annabeth Chase.

"All I said was, 'I want you to join The Olympians,' and she freaked out on me. She got pissed and began saying that if she did get in the gang, how I was so sure she wouldn't run off and tell the authorities. So, I got mad and told her I'd make sure she didn't. That made her even more angry and said she wouldn't be joining The Olympians and she stormed out of the room."

Piper and Jason stayed silent for a bit. Even though I still had my hand over my face and couldn't see what they were doing, I knew they were having those silent conversations with their eyes. Something they always do, which I hated.

After a while, Jason spoke, his tone calm and smooth. "So, what I'm hearing is, you threatened her."

I sighed once again and shrugged. "I guess. But she was talking so much shit about the gang, I just couldnt control my temper."

I felt the bed slump next to me as someone sat down. I removed my hand to see Piper staring down at me, her gaze kind, gentle, but stern at the same time. "Percy, you shouldn't have said that. Annabeth's new to all of this. Her life climaxed so quickly, she doesn't know what to think. You've got to remember that Annabeth's not an ordinary girl. She's stubborn, and even if she might not show it, afraid. She has her weaknesses, and so far, the people she's met have managed to tap into those weaknesses, making her feel useless and cowardly. From the short period of time I've hung out with her, I learned quickly that she does _not_ like being told what to do, especially if those orders are given by a male. Why? I don't know. Annabeth's got secrets, Percy. She has a dark past. You can see it in her eyes. Something from her past has her terrified and scarred. And you already know about that other secret her Mother's kept from her. When she finds out, who knows what she'll do. Right now, you need to go speak to her. _Gently_ this time. You have to learn to keep that temper of yours in check when you're around her, okay?"

I let Piper's words sink in. Her words made sense, making me realize my mistake more thoroughly. I sat up and turned towards Piper, smiling fondly at her. She returned the smile with her own, kind and genuine. I leaned towards her and gave her a brotherly kiss on her forehead. "Thanks Pipes."

She shrugged nonchalantly and smiled. "Anytime Percy, anytime."

I got up, after patting Jason on the shoulder. As I walked out the door, I remembered what they had been up to before I arrived. I smirked to myself. "Use protection, you two!" I called over my shoulder.

I heard Piper growl and fling a pillow across her room, making it land outside her door and in the middle of the hallway. I laughed lightly, shaking my head. Then, I began my search for Annabeth.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

After I had stormed out of the room, I had fled though the hall and had managed to find a bathroom. So now, here I was, muttering curse words and sniffling, wiping the remaining tears off my face. But these weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of _anger._ Pure, anger.

I've had enough of Percy and his stupid gang. Sure, I liked everyone in it, at least, the members I'd met so far. The only person I've come to dislike is Percy. That arrogant bitch thinks he can just reel me in to his gang by _threatening_ me? No _fucking_ way. He can easily go rot in hell.

I got up from where I was seated on the toilet and went to the sink to wash my face. I looked into the mirror, only to find my eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. I've been finding my appearance like this too many times. This has to stop. _But how?_ My life changed so quickly in such little time, I'm still having trouble to keep up with all the things going on around me.

My thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked softly on the door. I groaned inwardly, already having an idea of who it was. I took a deep, calm breath, and then slowly let it out. I opened the door and looked up, only to lock eyes with Percy's oceany ones. I huffed and glared at him. "What do you want? Haven't you caused me enough anger for one day?"

Without waiting for him to respond, I began closing the door. Before it could close fully, Percy's foot blocked it. I glared lasers at his shoe, wanting it to retract and never bother me again. I lifted my head and narrowed my eyes at Percy.

"What do you _want,_ Jackson?"

Percy's eyes flashed irritably, but then he breathed calmly. "Miss Chase, I just want to talk."

I laughed coldly. "About what? My life was doing just fine before you showed up and took me here. Do you have any idea how hard that is? To be taken away from everything and everyone you know, and be shoved into a world you had no idea even existed? Percy, I just _killed_ someone today! Knowing that I now have to live with the guilt of murdering someone terrifies me Percy." My voice turned into a whisper at the end, wavering enough so that Percy could hear it.

I looked up at Percy, and his expression softened. "Miss Chase, I know you're scared. This was all new to me too. I was also terrified. I had no idea what might happen to me. But look where I am today? Even if what my gang does horrifies you and everyone else, I'm proud of what we've accomplished. You have no idea why some of us need this gang to keep going. I don't just do it for fun, maybe sometimes, but there are some people that actually _need_ this gang."

Percy sighed and looked over his shoulder. "I'll leave you alone for now, but just, think about it, okay? You have no other choice, unless you want us to kill you. So, think about it, all right? And I assure you we'll fix your problem with your career, and I promise that you'll be taken to see your Mother."

I pondered over Percy's words. His tone was soft and understanding, and I had a feeling he wasn't faking it. Right now, all I wanted to do was talk to my Mother, or someone familiar. I looked up at Percy, whose eyes were sparkling expectantly. I smiled, not completely genuine, but also not fake. I nodded my head slowly. "Okay."

Percy smiled and gave me a nod. He turned to leave and had took a couple of steps when I stopped him. "And Percy?"

He turned around, his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "Yeah?"

I smiled, "Call me Annabeth."

Percy returned the smile with a nod of his head. "You got it Annabeth."

And with that, he left, leaving me alone to think about his proposal I wanted nothing to do with.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After talking with Annabeth, I'd decided to hit the pool. I felt better about the talk I had with her. I had meant what I had told her. Every single word. I felt no need to lie, because I knew she would know if I was. Besides, saying the truth would just make things with her easier.

I entered the pool room, the scent of chlorine filling my nostrils immediately. It gave me a sense of security, relaxation. The water was also another way of remembering my Mom, before the accident happened.

No. Not right now. I can't. It just makes my mood get worse, and makes me feel guilty. I shook my head and pulled off my shirt, letting it drop to the floor. Already having made a stop by my room to get some swimming trunks, I tore off my shoes and immediately rushed into the pool. I dived in, creating swarming bubbles all around me. The water was cool against my skin, wakening up my senses instantly. I smiled, enjoying the familiar feeling of the water surrounding me like a second skin.

I swam across the pool, savoring the feeling of my arms gliding across the water almost gracefully.

It had only been about half an hour, when I heard someone call my name as I swam laps across the pool. I rubbed my eyes and opened them, only to find myself staring dumbfounded at the entrance to the room.

Standing in the entrance was Bianca and Annabeth. Bianca smiled warmly at me and cocked her head to the side. "Annabeth had something she wanted to tell you, so I figured you'd be in here."

I nodded slowly, swimming over to the edge of the pool. I hauled my self up and set foot on the cool cement. I walked over to the pool chair and grabbed a towel. As I dried my hair off, Bianca and Annabeth just stood there silently. I caught Annabeth's gaze on me and I smirked at her. "Checking me out, Chase?"

Annabeth scoffed and glared at me, annoyance flashing in her stormy eyes. "You wish dipshit."

I chuckled softly, sliding the towel across my shoulders. I walked over to them, crossing my arms over my chest when I stopped in front of them. We stood there in awkward silence, no one saying a word. I could faintly hear Thalia yelling at Nico down the hall. I heard a thump and then a yelp fill the air.

Bianca cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward tension filling the air. She jutted her thumb behind her shoulder. "I'mma go check on Thalia and make sure she doesn't murder my brother."

I chuckled and nodded my head. In a flash, Bianca was running down the hall. Annabeth and I stood still in silence, no one daring to say a word. I kept me eyes wandering all over the room, desperate to look at anything other than her. I heard Thalia give a strangled cry and then a crash, probably a vase she threw.

I smiled faintly. Thalia will always be her violent self. I took a risk and glanced at Annabeth, whose eyes were glues to the floor. I shifted my foot, finally growing impatient from all this silence. I cleared my throat loudly, causing Annabeth to look up.

"You uh, wanted to tell me something?" I asked, already knowing what she wanted to talk about.

Annabeth glanced at the floor again, fiddling with her fingers. "Yes. I thought about your proposal." She suddenly straightened, locking eyes with me confidently, her eyes swimming with regret, irritation, weariness, defiance, and what I thought was fear.

"I agree. I will join The Olympians."

* * *

Soon, all of us were down in HQ in the meeting room. The room was silent, the tapping of Leo's fingers against the table being the only noise in the room. Annabeth was twiddling with her fingers, her eyes darting around the room nervously, her gaze never focusing on me.

Having enough of the silence, I cleared my throat. "So, as you all may know, Annabeth has agreed to join The Olympians. But before we give her information about what she will be doing and what rules she has to follow, I have to ask her something." I gazed at Annabeth, and she reluctantly locked eyes with me.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to do anything beforehand?"

Annabeth looked thoughtful for a moment. I could practically hear her thoughts as they raced through her mind. Finally making a decision, she looked back up at me. Her eyes shown hopefully. "I would like to go visit my Mother."

The rest of us shared nervous glances at each other. I cleared my throat and focused on Annabeth once again. "All right...we could go right now, if you please."

Annabeth nodded and smiled, but then her expression grew serious again. In a firm voice, she said, "I want to be able to tell my Mother about all this."

Bianca took in a sharp breath, but then covered it with a cough. I gave her a warning glace, which caused her to smile sheepishly and look down at her lap. I turned to Annabeth, nodding slowly and reluctantly. "But she can be the _only_ person you tell. I will know if you share this information with anyone else. Besides, Athena is a very trustful person."

Annabeth nodded seriously, but her eyebrows furrowed quizzically. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again, as if reluctant to voice her thoughts, which confused me, because Annabeth seemed like such a confident person. From the short period of time I've known her, I already know that she is a very outspoken person and never gets through a conversation without speaking her mind, whatever the idea might be.

"But before we go, we have to discuss your situation with your career."

Annabeth perked up at that, staring at me intently. "I am most definitely not going to end it for this. I still want to be able to continue modeling."

I nodded in agreement, setting my hands on the table. Suddenly, Piper spoke up. "What if you just take a break for about six months, just to get settled and use to your new life. You can just tell your Mother or manager to tell the public that you decided to take a break for a while. When those six months are over, you can go back to modeling, but still be able to keep up with gang work."

Annabeth pondered this, and I could practically see the gears in her head turning. Finally, she nodded slowly. "That might work."

Piper grinned, obviously pleased. She leaned back into her chair, letting Jason's arm wrap around her shoulder. I looked at Annabeth once again and nodded at her. "All right, so we'll go along with Piper's plan. When we come back from visiting your Mother, we'll give you a short introduction about what to expect, and then we'll see what happens from there."

Annabeth nodded once again, her eyes glued to the map on the table. I looked around the table. "Bianca, Nico, you two will be coming with me. Piper, while we're gone, I want you to monitor our latest targets to see where they'll be the next few days. Leo, I want you to give a tune-up to some of our vehicles, just in case. Reyna, Thalia, you two can just train if you want. Jason, you're in charge while we're gone."

They all nodded in agreement, Leo and Thalia both mock-saluting me. I turned towards Annabeth again, who was still staring intently at the table, biting her lip in concentration. "Now, Annabeth," I said, making her wake up from her trance and look up at me. "Give your Mother a call. Tell her you'll be stopping by for a friendly chat."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I stepped out of the car, never taking my eyes off the beautiful, tall, and familiar building I practically grew up in. Sleek, shiny windows surrounded the building in columns. The perfectly structured building stood proudly, the sun reflecting every detail of the building, making it look as graceful as ever. The building looked almost brand new, anyone who would've seen the building would've thought that it was barely built. But no. This building has been standing proudly since even before the day I was born.

Bianca, Nico and Percy soon all followed. They were each wearing contacts. Percy an amber color, Bianca a Pacific blue, and Nico a forest green. Even with just one different added feature, they looked like completely different people. I was wearing sunglasses and a black floppy hat over my head, covering most of my face.

I looked back at them, and they just stared back at me. Finally, with a strained smile, Nico spoke up. Even with contacts on, his eyes shone impatiently. He gestured towards the building. "Well, Annabeth? This is practically your home. Lead the way."

Bianca glared at him and elbowed him in the ribs. Nico glared back and flicked her in the head. Then Bianca kicked him in the shin, making him wince. Nico then shoved her. _Then_ Bianca smacked him upside the head. Nico glared at Bianca and lifted his hand to-

Percy sighed exasperatedly. "You guys, stop it. You two do this all the time. I'm getting tired of it."

The two siblings huffed, crossing their arms over their chests. Giving each other one last glare, they turned towards me. I cracked a smile, wondering what it would be like if I still had my two siblings... _stop,_ I chided myself.

Percy glanced at me and gave me a warm smile. "Go ahead Annabeth, lead the way."

I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to face the building. With a deep breath, I led the way in.

* * *

Beautiful. Elegant. Amazing. _Perfect._

Those were the words to describe my Mother's head company building.

It looked just like it had the many times I've been here. A high chandelier hung from the entrance, casting a warm glow to the room. The white marble floor reflected every detail and decoration of the room. There were too many details to be able to describe. _Too many._

I looked back to look at the others. Percy's eyes were wide with admiration. Bianca's jaw was open, awestruck. Nico raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. He whistled quietly in approval. "Nice place your Mother's got here, Annabeth.

I smiled proudly, knowing that I has helped plan some of the newer details to the building. I scanned the room, then spotted the secretary's desk. My eyes went wide with happiness when I spotted the familiar face of Phoebe, my Mother's long time secretary. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she examined something on her computer. Her auburn hair was braided neatly in it's usual French braid, hanging over her left shoulder. I almost called out to her, but then stopped myself. She can't know I'm here. _No one can._

I then spotted the elevator I road everytime I came to visit my Mother for help with building plans. I looked at the others and nodded towards the elevator towards the right side of the entrance. Unfortunately, Phoebe had a perfectly good view of the elevator, and who went in and out. But then again, she seemed so engrossed with her computer, I doubt she'll notice us sneak by...

I gestured for the others to follow, and then started walking confidently towards the elevator, my heels clacking against the floor.

We finally reached the elevator, with me glancing back at Phoebe with every step I took. I pushed the button to open the elevator. There were about 60 floors to this building, and my Mother's office was at the very top. Above the doors to the elevator, the numbers started counting down what floor it passed. _30.. 29.. 28.. 27.. 26.. 25.. 24.. 23.. 22.. 21.. 20..._

I huffed impatiently and crossed my arms over my chest. _Can this thing go any slower?_

I looked over my shoulder to glance at Phoebe. I sighed in relief when I noticed she was currently looking down at some papers. I turned back to look at the countdown. _10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1. Ding!_

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. I glanced back at Phoebe, who was now staring at the computer again, the screen illuminating her face with a blue light.

"Go, go go!" I quickly ushered the others into the elevator, wishing they'd hurry up. As we stepped in, I turned to press on the button for the 60th floor. The doors began closing. _Slowly. Very,_ hair-pullingly, slowly . Just as they were about to shut close, Phoebe glanced up at the elevator. I took in a sharp breath. Her emerald eyes locked with mine for a millisecond, when the doors snapped shut. As the elevator rose, the only thing I could think about was the bewildered expression, on Phoebe's face.

* * *

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. My heart raced with anticipation. I was finally going to see my Mother. I hadn't been able to see her for a month, but that month already felt like a year. I never thought I'd ever miss my Mother's curt commands, or the exasperatingly way her mind was somewhere else during a conversation, which the ones that included business talk were the only ones she paid her full attention to. With just normal conversations with her, her eyes would have a far away look, already sketching a new building in her head.

Then a thought hit me. Maybe _she_ could help get me out of this gang-mess.

My thoughts were interrupted as the others stepped out of the elevator. I got out as well, instantly walking down the first hall. I heard the footsteps of Percy, Bianca, and Nico scurrying after me.

"So, Annabeth... How long has your Mother been running this company?" Asked Bianca, starting up a conversation.

I smiled fondly. "She's had this company for twenty-five years."

I looked behind me to see Percy's eyes widen incredulously. "Holy shit... How old _is_ your Mother?"

"Percy!" Bianca hissed beside him. Nico rolled his eyes at his question, but the corners of his mouth trembled slightly.

I chuckled softly. "That's okay. My Mother is about 45 years old." I still wasn't sure how to act towards Percy. He could be happy and joking one minute, and the next his eyes were blazing with fury and his jaw was clenched so hard, I was afraid his teeth might break.

Percy whistled softly. "Damn. Then how come she doesn't even look a day over thirty?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea." I actually didn't have a clue how my Mother managed to look so young and so fit.

We finally reached the door to my Mother's office. I stood in front of it, not sure if I should knock or just go in. What would she say once she saw me? Would she be mad? Happy? I had no clue. You could never tell with a woman like my Mother.

"Annabeth?" Bianca prompted softly, coming to stand beside me. I smiled faintly at her and then turned back to face the door. I decided to just knock, knowing that my Mother always hated when I came in without knocking. _Its rude, s_ he had scolded me as if I was a six year old. _You should always knock before you enter a room. You never know what the person might be doing._

I smiled and shook my head at the memory. My Mother would and still does scold me for the littlest things. I could only imagine how many times she reprimanded her employees.

I brought up my hand to the door and knocked softly. Once. Twice. Three times. I held my breath, waiting for the door to swing open, revealing my Mother in all her glorified pride and confidence. Instead, all I heard was a muffled, "Come in."

I gently twisted the door knob and then pushed the door open. There was my Mother, sitting down on her desk, examining her probably latest blueprints. Her dark brown hair was pulled into an elegant bun. She finally looked up. I almost gasped. Her eyes... Her usual sharp, cold, calculating gray eyes, were now dull. They seemed to be filled with worry, panic, nervousness, and weariness. But even though those emotions lingered in them, I was pleased to see her eyes still had their sharp intelligence to them, something my Mother would never lose no matter how she was feeling.

Her gray orbs widened. She stood up from her leather swivel chair, placing both hands gently on her desk.

I straightened, locking eyes with her confidently. Gray on gray. I breathed out calmly. "Hello Mother."

* * *

A wave of relief washed over Athena's face. She quickly rushed over to me, not stumbling one bit in her five inch stiletto heels. When she reached me, she pulled me into a tight embrace. I hugged her back just as tight, burying my face into her neck. I inhaled her sweet Jasmine scent, all my worries fading away as I breathed in that familiar smell.

She pulled back and looked into my eyes, trying to read the emotions going through them "A-Annabeth... I can't believe it's you. You've been gone for two days! We began to think that you were-you were dead."

I stifled back the sob forming in my throat. Just hearing her comforting voice made me want to just break down crying in her arms as she stroked my hair and whispered soothingly to me, just as she used to do when I was a little girl.

"No Mother, I'm ok. I just had some things come up...that were private and I couldn't go out in public for a short while." I responded hesitantly.

My Mother studied me for a while, her calculating gray eyes stern, analyzing my face and eyes, her mouth set in a tight line, letting me know that she was obviously not buying my excuse.

Percy cleared his throat behind me. Athena looked over my shoulder to look at them, a baffled expression on her face, as if she'd just noticed they were here. She studied them all for a second, when suddenly the color drained from her face. She looked at them with wide eyes, her gray orbs looking panicked and... Scared?

But why? For the twenty-three years that I've known my Mother, I have _never_ seen Athena Minerva Chase get scared. It was just a feeling that she wasn't familiar with. But _people_ making her get like this? No way.

Percy shifted from one foot to the other, his eyes locked onto the floor, refusing to look up. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "We'll be out here in the meantime."

Athena nodded, her expression still terrified and her posture stiff. I furrowed my eyebrows at her and looked her in the eyes asking, _whats wrong with you?_ Athena shook her head slightly, her eyes clearly saying, _We'll talk about this later._

This only made my head swim with questions even more. Why does she look so scared? Does she know Percy and Bianca and Nico? Why did her face pale when she looked at them?

Percy, Bianca and Nico exited the room, Nico shutting the door gently behind him. Now alone, I turned back towards my Mother. I opened my mouth to ask her why she seemed so freaked out, but she cut me off.

Her eyes took on an angry and irritated gleam. "Annabeth, where _were_ you? Do you have any idea how worried we've all been? We looked everywhere! We scoured the whole city! The press was now starting rumors that you were kidnapped, or even worse, _dead._ Where the hell have you been?"

I shook my head slightly, staring at my Mother with pleading eyes. "Mother, _please_. I'm sorry. I never meant any of this to happen. I had just been going home from shopping when paparazzi came. I hid in an alley while they passed. When they were gone, I was about to start walking back when this man grabbed me. I managed to escape him and foolishly ran farther down the alley. Then this other man-" my voice cracked, and my eyes began tearing up at the horrible memory. Athena looked at me in concern, but beckoned me to go on with my story.

I took a deep breath and continued talking. "This other man grabbed me and began harassing me. He probably would've raped me, but then Percy Jackson arrived with two other friends of his and saved me. And Mother, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, is leader of The Olympians."

My Mother's face paled even more as I continued recounting my story to her, down to every last detail. I talked about the bar harassment, the bar fight, the training, their proposal to join their gang, and how I _killed a man._

By the end, I was clinging to my Mother, sobbing loudly. Me, a twenty-three year old adult, crying like a six year old child and clinging to my Mom as if there was no tomorrow. I looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"Mother, _please._ Help me get out if this. Isn't there a way that I could get out of being in that horrid gang?"

Athena looked down at me with a pained and sad expression, yet her eyes blazed with anger, but I somehow knew that anger wasn't directed towards me. She muttered angrily under her breath, which I only managed to catch a few words of, "They swore they wouldn't... I'm going to kill them... to think I trusted them not to mess with my..." Athena stopped mumbling and looked back at me, the anger in her eyes fading, replaced by sadness. She gently pulled back from my grip, but held my hands with her own soft and delicate ones. She looked me in the eyes and spoke softly, pain in her voice. "No Annabeth... I cannot help you."

I stared at my Mother with wide eyes. _What?_ She can't help me? _Why_? "W-why not?"

Athena sighed heavily and stepped back from me, letting my hands slip out of hers. She looked down at the floor. "Because, Annabeth," she spoke quietly but loud enough for me to hear.

She straightened and this time looked me in the eyes as she spoke, her voice louder.

"Because I used to be in The Olympians. And I still work with them."

* * *

 **0-0**

 **Sooo.. whatcha guys think? Yup, definitely my longest chapter so far. The story's gonna pick up some pace after this. And I'd like to thank ShadowHunter399 for the ideas and suggestions she's/he's given to me, I really appreciate the help (: Any suggestions? Comments? PM me if you do, or just leave a review (:**

 **~Kat :D**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello my lovely readers! So...I'm glad to see that many of you liked the last chapter. What'd you think of that plot twist, eh? And wow...just two more days left of school for me. I should probably be happy, but I just feel sad. Anyway...I don't wanna be sad right now, so on to chapter 10 of Sworn off Love:**

 **SapphireTrafficker: Thank you for that! I'm glad you like the idea if Athena being part of the gang (: I actually hadn't planned her to be in it in the first place, but now I think it just makes the story more interesting (:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Breathing

I've done it my whole life. Ever since I came into this world I've been able to breathe.

But right now, I couldn't seem to be able to do it.

My Mother's expression was unreadable. I couldn't tell if she was ashamed, sad, or angry. And to be truthful, I didn't want to know what she was feeling right now.

"W-what?" I asked in a whisper, finally managing to breathe again. I took a step back.

Athena's eyes were pleading. She took a step forward and reached out a hand as if to grab me. I took another step back, refusing to be touched by her. "Annabeth, please. You don't understand. I was going to tell you-"

I let out a disbelieving laugh. "Were you Mother? Were you _really_? Because it seems to me like everyone is keeping secrets from me. But my own _Mother?_ Unbelievable."

I might not know how my Mother was feeling, but I sure knew what I felt right now.

Betrayed. Angry. Hurt.

How could my own _Mother_ not tell me she was working with The Olympians? My Mother, the one who always told me to never break any laws and to stay safe, when she was the one breaking all those rules herself.

"Annabeth _please_ listen to me-"

"No," I said firmly, clenching my jaw. "I can't be listening to the one person I've trusted my whole life, and then kept this big of a secret from me and refuses to help me."

And with that, I ran out the door.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After Nico, Bianca and I had stepped out of the room, we had gone back downstairs to the entrance. Bianca was seated on a chair absentmindedly twirling her hair. Nico was scowling at the lights mumbling, "It's too bright in here," as he tapped his foot impatiently. I was leaning against the wall, not paying attention to anything else going around me as I fiddled with the switchblade in my pocket.

It had been only a short while before Nico nudged me in the ribs, jutting out his chin towards the elevator, his eyes narrowed in concern and confusion. I looked over to the elevator, where I saw a familiar floppy black hat, honey blonde curls cascading out of the hat, and gray eyes that flickered up to meet mine. The woman wiped her eyes furiously, and glared at me with pure hatred, her eyes looking like a thunderstorm brewing inside them.

Annabeth.

And she was crying.

"Is she crying?" Asked Bianca, who had now stood up and was standing next to me.

Nico scoffed and scowled. "Athena probably got all bitchy on her. We all know what she made our Dads promise. She most likely took all her anger out on Annabeth. We all know how Athena hates it when people disobey her."

I ignored Nico's comment and kept my eyes on Annabeth. With one more furious glance, she ran out of the building and outside.

"Shit," I muttered, instantly breaking into a sprint to go after her.

I fled out the doors and outside, frantically looking around. _Where the fuck is she?_

I finally spotted a flash of blonde hair as Annabeth rounded the corner.

"Annabeth, wait!" I shouted, running in her direction. I rounded the corner she had took and looked around again. I have never so desperately wanted to see those beautiful golden curls ever before. And when I most wanted to at least catch a glimpse of them, the world wouldn't allow it.

I growled in frustration and ran a hand through my hair.

"W-where is s-she?" Wheezed Bianca, finally having caught up with me along with Nico.

I glared out into the streets. "I don't know. I saw her round this corner, but I can't fucking find her anymore."

Nico scowled and peered out into the crowd of people. "Fuck," he muttered.

 _I am going to find her, whether or not she's dead or alive._

I preferred the latter.

I glanced at Nico and Bianca. "You two go back to Athena and ask her what the fuck just happened. I'll go find Annabeth."

Bianca furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to say something when I cut her off. "Just go!" I barked. Bianca rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly, but grabbed Nico by his elbow and began dragging him down the way we had come from.

I patted my back pocket, making sure my gun was still there. Having felt something hard, I nodded in satisfaction and straightened my leather jacket. Then, I began wading through the throng of people, beginning my search for Annabeth fucking Chase.

But as much as I was angry with her right now, I was praying to God, that she was alright.

Not all prayers come true.

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"Go," ordered a masculine voice. "She's left her wretched Mother's building. She's now running through the street south of her bitch of a Mother's company building. And hurry, Jackson is looking for her. I don't care whether you have to hurt her, just bring her to me."

The man he was ordering nodded obediently and took out his pistol, making sure it was fully loaded. Satisfied, he ran out the door of the warehouse and immediately went out in search for the blonde beauty.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I fled through the dark street, wiping the tears that were forming in my eyes away furiously. I was not going back. I could start a new life. Create a new identity. But I was surely not going to go back to my old life. The one that was full of lies, secrets, and betrayals.

I scowled at the ground, not bothering to slow down. Could I really start a new life? Would I be able to gain a new successful career? Be able to talk to my Mother?

Would I even be able to love another man?

 _No._ I made that mistake twice. No matter how many new lives I may begin, I was absolutely _never_ going to repeat that heartbreaking mistake again.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a trashcan being kicked over. I froze, my eyes blown wide. I scanned my surroundings, hoping it was just an animal that had caused the trashcan to be tipped over.

Sadly, my hopes were crushed. As always.

"H-hello?" I called out, remaining glued to the place I was currently standing in.

I dared not move. God knows what would happen if I did.

My breathing quickened as my heart began racing. What do I do?

I decided on doing the stupid thing that any person in my situation would do.

I ran.

And boy, was that a mistake.

A stupid one.

But my whole life is one big, stupid mistake. So why should I be worried?

Because I worry too much.

I had only ran at least two feet when a bang echoed through the vacant street. I knew that sound too well. It was the same one I had heard when Percy had rescued me that night. Even though it had only been three days ago, the day seemed like so long ago. I knew that sound.

It was the sound of a gunshot.

My side suddenly felt as if it were on fire. Pain traveled all the way up to my neck, making me freeze mid-run. It was unbearable. I hadn't felt this much pain in my whole life. At least, not physically. But oh, now I know how badly someone can suffer pain.

I cried out in agony as I collapsed to the ground, hitting the concrete with a thud. Vertigo began talking over me, incoherent thoughts running through my head. _Am I gonna die? Those huevos rancheros Reyna and Leo made were so good. Would I ever get to eat them again? There are so many other outfits I haven't tried on. Oh look, there's my floppy black hat. I really like that hat. Bianca would look nice in it. Where's my Mother? Where's my Dad? Where are my brothers? Am I gonna die?_

The last thing I heard was Percy faintly calling out my name, and then two gunshots ringing through the air.

And then everything went black.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I ran down the streets, my anger turning into immense worry. _Where is that girl? Is she okay?_

My questions were both answered when I heard a bang echo through the streets. Sadly, I knew that sound too well. I used it whenever I killed someone who got on my nerves or messed with my friends, family and I.

A gunshot.

"Fuck," I growled, picking up speed. I ran in the direction of the gunshot and soon rounded the corner into an empty street, dim lamposts lighting up the sidewalk.

And there I saw, the blonde beauty laying on the ground, blood trickling down the side of her stomach.

" _No,"_ I whispered. "Annabeth!"

I ran over to her, but froze when I saw someone take down the street, clad in black. I instantly whipped out my gun and aimed it at the man, or at least, I thought it was a male.

I pulled the trigger and fired two times. One of my bullets managed to skim across the man's arm, who cried out in pain. _Yep, definitely male._

The other bullet whizzed past his head, dangerously close. Five more centimeters to the left, and he'd now have blood oozing out of the right side of his head.

"Shit," I muttered as the man managed to escape around a corner. I would've ran after him and beat him senseless, but I quickly remembered that I had another problem to deal with.

Annabeth.

I ran over to her and dropped to my knees next to her. I examined her wound, gently putting two fingers against it. "No, no, no, no, no," I muttered as I drew back my hand, now caked with blood.

I checked Annabeth's pulse and let out a sigh of relief when I found out that it was still running. But that didn't mean everything was now sunshine and rainbows.

Annabeth was losing blood fast. And a lot of it. I took off my leather jacket and gently laid it over her. I took out my phone and dialed Nico's number.

"Percy? Did you find Annabeth?" He asked once he answered.

I sighed and looked down at Annabeth, her curls cascading over her face. I gently brushed them out of the way. Anger suddenly overtook me. But not towards Annabeth. That anger was directed towards me. I should've been quicker. I should've stayed with her and Athena. _Fucking Athena. What could she have told her to make her run out like that?_ I remembered Annabeth's eyes full of hate as she locked them with mine. They carried so much anger in them, I had to resist the urge to flinch. Then another thought occurred to me. _Had I made her that angry?_

"Percy?" Prompted Nico, a tinge of impatience in his voice.

"I found her," I replied hesitantly.

I heard Nico let out a sigh of relief. "Is she ok?"

I let out a ragged breath. "Annabeth was shot."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I opened my eyes, my head pounding. The light that was seeping through the windows didn't help at all. I rubbed my eyes and finally looked around. The room was white, with five black cushioned chairs set up on the right side of the room. There were two doors. One across from me, and one to the right side of where I was.

 _Where am I?_

I looked down to see what I was wearing. I gently lifted up the covers and wrinkled my nose when I saw that I was wearing an ugly white gown. It wasn't one you would see women or anyone for that matter wearing out in the streets. No. The only place I ever see people wear these are in _hospitals._

I abruptly sat up, alarm taking over me. The sudden movement caused pain to ripple through me, starting from my waist and traveling all the way up to my neck. I winced and gently lowered myself back onto the comfortable bed. I put a hand over my eyes, breathing slowly to ease the pain. _What happened to me?_

I heard a click and removed my hand from my face to look at the door. It opened, revealing the person I probably hate most right now; Percy.

He entered the room and shut the door softly behind him. Why? I wanted him to slam it shut. I didn't want his pity right now. His face looked calm, yet his eyes shone with concern. No. I wanted to see their oh so familiar furious blaze to them. I didn't want him to look calm right now. Anything but that.

I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing that when I opened them again, I'd be back on the runway, cameras flashing wildly in all different directions. _Back when none of this ever happened._

"Annabeth," I heard Percy's soft voice say. Still keeping my eyes shut, I heard a chair being dragged over closer to me, the chair legs scraping squeakily against the floor. "Annabeth," Percy repeated, louder this time.

I rolled my eyes internally and finally opened my eyes, my gaze landing on Percy's. He studied my face, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes suddenly darkening in anger. His green orbs finally met mine. "How are you feeling?" He asked gently, yet his eyes still burned with fury.

"Like shit," I responded, surprised by how strong my voice sounded, taken the situation I was in. I laughed bitterly, narrowing my eyes at Percy. "But I've found myself feeling like that quite often ever since I met you."

Percy scowled at me. "Do you even remember what happened to you?"

I frowned. "No. Enlighten me won't you?"

Percy rolled his eyes at me and continued scowling deeply in my direction. "You ran out from your Mother's office yesterday like a crazy bitch. Then, you wandered off to hell knows where, and someone shot you in the side. Luckily, I arrived just in time to help you before you lost anymore blood than you already did."

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. My throat felt dry. Percy's words echoed through me. _Someone shot you._ I had a hard time believing that, but the pain flaring up my side was proof that it indeed did happen.

"W-who shot me?" I said hoarsely.

Percy's scowl softened a bit. "I don't know. I managed to get there when the bastard was already running away. The closest I could get to hurting him was skimming his arm with a bullet, but nothing more."

I stayed quiet for a while, keeping my eyes glued to the white bedsheet laid over me. How could this happen to me? What caused my life to go this shitty?

 _Falling in love,_ a voice whispered in the back of my mind.

I gripped the bedsheet until my knuckles turned white. _Stupid, stupid Annabeth. Falling in love is the stupidest thing you've ever done. Now look where that brought you?_

The memories of my two heartbreaks washed back into my head. Their eyes filled with love every time they looked at me. The way they held me protectively whenever we went out. The three words they said each time we departed. _I love you._

It had all been a lie.

A very cruel lie.

It wasn't until something wet hit my hands that I realized I was crying. _Stop it, Annabeth. You can't be crying over those worthless bastards. They hurt you. Don't give them the satisfaction of making you feel this way._

But I can't help it. They were my first two true loves.

And I shouldn't be calling them worthless, because the only worthless person in this world, is me.

Percy laid a gentle hand on mine. I was too tired and sad and angry to slap his hand away. His other hand traveled up under my chin taking it between his index finger and thumb, raising it until I met his eyes.

All the anger was gone from his eyes and face. That anger was replaced by deep concern. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked gently.

I shook my head, wiping the tears from my face angrily. I can't let Percy see me like this. This-this broken. It makes me look weak, vulnerable. But why should I worry? Percy's seen me like this plenty of times, so why hide it? I don't care what he thinks of me.

Percy continued looking into my eyes, searching for any emotions running through them. "Are you sure?" He asked softly.

I let out a shaky breath and sniffed. "Y-yes, I'm sure."

I brought up my free hand to remove his from my face, but gently this time, not rashly and roughly like I had the other times he had either been close or ever did to touching me. Percy let his other hand trail down from mine, slowly bringing it back to rest on his lap.

Suddenly, the memories from yesterday came flooding back into my head. Now I remembered what my Mother and I had been talking about. What she said that had made me run out like that.

"Percy?" I asked softly. His eyes rose up to meet mine. I took a shaky breath. "Is it-is it true that my Mother works with The Olympians?"

Percy's eyes widened, and I took that as my answer. Even if I knew it was a yes, I wanted to hear it from him. "Percy," I said firmly this time. "Is it true?"

Percy lowered his gaze and nodded slowly. I shut my eyes, letting that sink in. "How long?"

Percy sighed and put his palms on his knees. "Athena was a member in The Olympians since before you were born. When she turned thirty, she quit being in the gang, but still continues to help us out. She didn't want you to find out that she was working with a notorious gang, much less being a member herself. Athena," he said, pausing a bit and letting his eyes flicker up to mine. "Athena is the one that built and designed all the houses my gang members stay in. Like the one we brought you to."

I let that sink in. I knew the structure of the house seemed familiar. Only Athena could ever construct and design a house so beautifully.

"Why did she join the gang?" I asked after a moment of silence.

Percy shook his head slightly. "It's not my place to tell you."

I nodded, letting my head sink back into the pillows. Why Athena? Why didn't you tell me? Is that why you won't help me? Because you want me to follow in your footsteps and join a gang?

Another thought occurred to me. "Where am I? I mean, I know I'm in a hospital, but which one?"

Percy smiled faintly. "You're in a hospital called 'Hermes Medical Hospital,' owned by The Olympians. All the nurses and doctors and staff here are gang members. They also take in non-members, so people wouldn't be suspicious when they only take in certain people."

I nodded slowly, taking in all of this information. Then, a question came into my mind. "Were you the one that started this gang?"

Percy smiled and shook his head. "No. My father and uncles ran this gang. In the meantime, their company was growing, a lot. They started gaining more enemies from other companies that didn't want Olympus Enterprises in business. So, since I'm the oldest, I became the leader when I was eighteen. Basically, the whole family of my Dad's and uncle's were in The Olympians. But they stopped being in the gang once I took over, and made their children be members."

"Wow," I whispered. "Quite the organization you've got here," I teased, a smile playing on my lips. Percy smirked and shook his head. I shifted slightly and winced when newfound pain zipped through my body like an electric shock. Percy narrowed his eyes and shook his head once again.

"You're not gonna try to run away again, are you?" He asked seriously, yet I saw a playful twinkle in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, letting a tiny smile appear on my face. "No. Look where that got me? But, I will if you start being a pain in the ass again."

Percy chuckled softly and shook his head. "You're something, Chase."

I arched an eyebrow. "Oh, so we're calling each other by our last names now, are we? Well, _Jackson_ , not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

Percy laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "That was a compliment."

I nodded and cracked a grin. "Good, because I don't take insults well."

Percy smiled back. "From the little time I've spent with you, I believe that."

Percy was confusing, yet his eyes said everything. When he was happy, they would turn a nice soft green, with a tinge of blue near the pupils. But when he was angry, his irises turned different shades of blue, with a dark green mixed into them. The colors would swirl around, just like the ocean on a stormy day. The look might frighten others, but his eyes intrigued me. They were mesmerizing, as if when I looked into them, I couldn't seem to tear my gaze away.

I thought back to what Percy had told me when he came to me while I was locked in a bathroom. "Percy," I started hesitantly. He looked back up, his irises a soft green. "What you said the other day- about how everyone has a reason to be in this gang, does Thalia, Jason, and Piper and the rest of them have a reason too?"

Percy pursed his lips, but nodded. "I will tell you their stories, but I'll only grant you three people."

I rolled my eyes. "God, you sound like you're gonna grant me a wish or something," I quipped, making Percy chuckle and shrug slightly.

I thought for a moment, until I decided on who I wanted to know about first. "I know that Thalia is daughter of Zeus, who was or is a member of The Olympians, but does she have a reason?"

Percy pursed his lips and nodded. "Thalia wasn't in The Olympians at first. She and her Dad have a rocky relationship and aren't really that close. Thalia's mother had died when Thalia was ten. Her dad soon remarried. Zeus was and still is married to an uptight and bitchy woman named Hera, who hates Zeus's children. So, Thalia got so sick of her she ran away from home when she was twelve. After about half a year of just wandering the streets, she looked for help from my Aunt Artemis, who is leader to a gang herself, The Hunters. I'm sure you've heard of them."

I nodded. The Hunters consisted of only females, from what I've heard. And in order to join the gang, you have to swear off men for the rest of your life. No boyfriends, no husbands, no _falling in love_. Maybe I should join The Hunters.

"Anyway," Percy continued. "Thalia was closer to my Aunt than she ever was with her own Dad. Artemis let Thalia join her gang, and she took care of her for about five years. Zeus didn't care though. Why should he worry about a daughter he barely knew? It was until Jason, Bianca, Nico and I really started missing her, that we told Zeus to convince her to come back. At first, Zeus wouldn't hear of it, saying 'I have important business to overlook. Do not bother me right now,' and all that crap. So if Zeus didn't help us, we went out to look for Thalia. I had barely been made leader of my gang by then. We finally found Thalia and managed to convince her to come back home with us. We promised her that she wouldn't have to live with Zeus nor Her ever again. That's when we asked Athena to build all those mansions for us. And since Thalia was already going to be living with us, I asked her to join The Olympians, and she accepted."

"Wow," I finally breathed out. "And Bianca, Nico and Jason are just in the gang because they wanted to? Or did they have no other choice? Considering how their Dad's use to be the leaders of that gang."

Percy shrugged. "Kinda both. I mean, they all didn't really argue when their Dad's had asked them. So, they're fine being in the gang."

I nodded slowly. I furrowed my eyebrows curiously at Percy. "What about Piper? Does she have a reason?"

A smile ghosted on Percy's lips. "Well, Piper isn't really a fan of her Mom, nor her Dad. They both never really paid any attention to her since her Mom's this extremely famous supermodel, and her Dad's a famous actor. Piper never felt like she belonged in that family. She was lonely, and sad. It wasn't until she went out to a bar, where she met Jason. They hit it off pretty well, and soon began going out. Piper admitted her feelings to Jason about her family and how neglected she felt and out of place. She could never be the person her Mom and Dad wanted her to be. So finally, Jason came to me and asked me if it would be all right to let Piper into the gang. He told me about her, and I thought she seemed to have a strong and kind spirit. I agreed and Jason went to ask her one day while they were taking a walk in the park."

Percy paused, letting all this information sink in. "Piper had begun to grow suspicious of how Jason seemed to change appearance everytime they went out, how he'd always disappear abruptly with some lame excuse, and how she'd sometimes spot bruises on his arms or find him injured. So on that same night, she confronted him about it. Jason was scared to tell her. He was already in love with Piper. He was afraid she might never want to see him again, knowing that every night, he robbed banks, killed people, and vandalized all of the U.S. But in the end, he told her everything, and asked if she wanted to join. Piper was a little shaken at first. Piper accepted, saying that she didn't care for the crimes he committed, that she knew that he was a real soft and caring person deep down inside."

"That's... sweet," I said at last, not sure what to say. I knew that Piper was a sweet and kind person, and that she actually deserved a chance at love. She had a kind and genuine boyfriend, one that would never hurt her. And to think, people actually called me as wise as my Mother. I don't think so.

"What about... Reyna?" I asked hesitantly.

Percy shook his head solemnly. "Reyna doesn't like others talking about her past. And Reyna's past is dark. It's not my place to tell her story. Maybe you could ask her. I'm sure she'd tell you. She seems to like and trust you."

I gave a faint smile and nodded. Then another person popped into my head. The thought of him almost made me laugh. "And... Leo?"

Percy cracked a grin and chuckled. "Well, Leo's story is pretty funny actually. Leo had been close friends with Piper, but since she had joined the gang, she stopped spending time with Leo. But, it all started one day when Leo was just taking a walk through the streets of Manhattan. He passed a group of about five guys and for whatever reason, Leo began insulting them. What Leo didn't know was they were some of my gang members. They would've beat the shit out of Leo, but he started running away. He hid behind a building and took out some tools and contraptions from this tool belt he was wearing that day. I have no idea why. He managed to build some weird machine that would explode when someone got within one foot of it. He threw it somewhere he thought for sure my gang members would pass. Of course, they did. I know this is sad, but the guy closest to the machine got half his face burnt off. The others were smarter, and ran away. Jason had been watching this whole thing from the helicopter he was in. He kidnapped Leo and brought him back to HQ. We let Piper explain things to him, since Jason thought we needed to recruit this guy. Instead of being scared or nervous, Leo was _excited_. He started whooping and yelling things in Spanish, making none of us except Reyna understand what he was saying. But yeah, that's his story. He didn't really have a reason for joining. He just wanted to."

I couldn't help it, I started to laugh. I needed some laughter right now. The action made a fiery pain shoot up my side, but right now I didn't care. _Laughter._ Such a happy word. But I find myself doing it less and less as my life goes on, the horrible memories making it in possible to do such a happy, care-free action.

Percy grinned, and the smile on his face made me realize how good-looking he is. He had a chiseled jaw, outlining his handsome face perfectly. His raven, windswept hair fell into his eyes, making his green eyes stand out more. He clearly worked out, as his lean body a toned muscles were noticeable through his leather jacket, which might I add, looked very good on him.

I smiled at him, genuinely this time. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Percy."

He smiled back at me. "No problem, Annabeth. I figured you should hear the other's stories so you could see how they came to be in the gang."

I leaned back into the bed slowly, nodding my head. I still didn't know what to think about being in that gang. But also my Mother, known throughout the U.S as being a wise and very intelligent woman, was in a gang. Should that mean that it would be okay for me to be in one?

And right then, the door opened, revealing the woman I had been thinking about just now.

She stepped in, her posture perfect, and her eyes gleaming with intelligence and worry. Her eyes settled on me, concern flashing through them. "Annabeth," my Mother acknowledged, her voice edgy and cold, but I could hear the relief and care in her tone.

* * *

 **Third Person POV:**

"Where is she?" Demanded the mysterious man, irritation leaking through his voice.

The man he was talking to lowered his head. "Jackson came before I could take her back here, Boss." He figured his boss would start yelling his head off, but to his surprise, he smirked.

"Ah, Percy Jackson... always getting in the way. That is fine. Let her be there for awhile. Things will play out just how we need it to on their own. If not, then we'll figure out a way to do so. Keep an eye on her, that is all I will tell you. But in the end, Annabeth Chase will come to us."

* * *

 **Ok first off, I wanna start off by saying, HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY PIPER MCLEAN! IM LIKE SO EXCITED IDEK XDXDD everyone, literally wear something pink or red tomorrow and write "Beauty Queen" on ur wrist XD it'll be awesome. And also, join me in singing "Happy Birthday" to her at 7:00 pm on Saturday, cuz there are seven heroes of Olympus (; and also because, why not? And for those of you who didn't know, Piper's birthday is on June 3rd ((:**

 **AND ALSO, HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO GROVER UNDERWOOD AND FRANK ZHANG! :DD If you can, wear something either purple or green, or both on Monday! Write, "Klutz" and "Goatboy" on both ur wrists, and join me in singing to them both, "Happy Birthday" at 7:00 pm on Monday ((: if you didn't know, both their birthdays are in June 5th :D**

 **Second of all, who are these mysterious people? What do they have to do with Annabeth? Who knows? Lmao, I do, of course.**

 **Lastly, I figured Percabeth needed a break from all that fighting, so I added a conversation where they for once _weren't_ on the verge of tearing each other's throats out. So yeah (:**

 **You'll get more info on Athena's story with the gang in the next chapter. And be warned, Percabeth _might_ be arguing again ): But don't hate me for it. 0-0**

 **~Kat**


	12. Chapter 11

**Helllooooo my amazingly awesome readers! So, school has** ** _finally_** **ended, but I'm really sad about it, yet happy at the same time, if thats even possible. I can't believe the school year's finally ended, it's unbelievable. Never in my life have I thought about leaving my old school, since I'm headed off to a different one. I've been in that shitty school my whole life, and as bad and crappy and old it is, I'm honestly gonna miss it. I literally started bawling when the whole school did a clap-out for us and I got to see all my old teachers )): It's just...wow. ANYWAY, enough about that sappy crap. IT WAS PIPER, GROVER'S AND FRANK'S BIRTHDAYS GUYS! I'm** ** _way_** **too happy that the birthday's of "fictional characters" have passed, but I'm weird XD**

 **ANYWHOOO, on to chapter 11 of Sworn off Love ((:**

 **Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Uncomfortable silence settled upon the room after my Mother spoke my name.

I hate awkward silence.

No one moved. Not me. Not my Mother. Not even Percy.

His eyes were wide as they darted between my Mother and I, as if he was watching a tennis match between us. Finally, after about 3 minutes of extremely uncomfortable silence, Percy cleared his throat.

My Mother tore her analyzing gaze away from mine, and she looked at Percy, her eyes flashing with distaste and irritation. She sized him up, her left eye twitching just a bit, the way it does when she does not approve of someone.

 _"_ Perseus," my Mother's voice was sharp, commanding, and cold. Percy flinched when Athena spoke the name. Wait... _Perseus? Who the fuck?_

As if my Mother had said, "Can you please leave," instead of, "Perseus," Percy got up and gave me a look that clearly said either _hope you feel better_ or _good luck._ Hard to tell.

Then he walked out the door, closing it gently behind him. My Mother's eyes never left his figure as he walked out, her eyes still gleaming with disgust, loathing, annoyance, and a tiny bit of amusement.

And then we were alone.

 _Alone._

Such a depressing word.

Athena's eyes settled on me, and her face contorted instantly. Her eyes scrunched up in worry and concern. Her mouth was set in a tight line, the way it does when she's worried about something. "Oh Annabeth," was all she said, her voice light and wispy, filled with relief. As she said that, she walked over to me, immediately wrapping her arms around me, engulfing me in a warm and safe hug.

I hugged her back, warmth filling inside me, my anger towards her fading away like a drop of water on blue jeans. She stroked my hair comfortingly, her face buried in my neck. I smiled as her scent filled my nose, making me feel safe.

She pulled back, her eyes glassy and filled with tears I knew she would not let fall out. She pursed her lips. "Annabeth... I'm so glad you're safe. I..." she trailed off, having trouble forming her words together.

I gently took one of her hands in mine, forcing her to look at me. I forced my expression to be indifferent, I wanted to show no emotion right now. But I knew that my eyes gave everything I was feeling at this moment away.

Athena sighed, carefully pulling the chair Percy was sitting in earlier closer towards the bed. She sat down, her posture perfect, and crossed one leg over the other. No matter what situation my Mother was in, she _always_ made sure to be as lady-like and perfect as possible.

 _Perfect._

Something even a homeless man could be.

But not me.

Not ever.

"I... I guess I owe you an explanation," Athena said carefully, her eyes never leaving mine.

All I could do was nod. I was incapable of speaking right now. I felt as if a cold ball had settled in my throat, making it impossible for me to utter a single word.

"I had joined The Olympians when I was only 19 years old. My story is somewhat similar to yours, Annabeth. That gang had recently began, and I remember being terrified of walking out in the streets alone, thinking that some gang member would just shoot me for fun," my Mother started, her voice smooth and confident. "At the time, I had been in college, studying to become an architect. I'd always dreamed of building beautiful, tall, amazing structures that would be on every corner of New York. I remember walking home from school one night, I had stayed late to keep sketching a building I would present to my professor. Of course, it was raining harshly that night, the droplets of water stinging my skin when I stepped outside. Only wearing jeans and a blouse, I had to run home, since I was stupid enough to decide not to bring my car to school." My Mother paused, her eyes shining with regret and slight anger.

"My house was about 20 minutes away from the school, and the rain and cold wind only made things harder for me. I ran and ran, finally finding refuge in a small gas station. I went in, only to find that the place had no customers. I decided to stay there until the storm died down a bit, since I was now only about 10 minutes away from home. I went deeper into the store, just browsing the aisles. Everything was fine, you could say, until _they_ came in. I remember hearing the door chime, and me looking up to see five men walking in, all about my age. At the front was a tall and handsome man, about 20 years old. I vaguely remember him having caramel colored hair, pacific blue eyes, a nice lean and muscular body, perfect white teeth, and an ear piercing on his left earlobe. He was what people your age would describe nowadays as ah... _hot._ I will admit, the only type of attraction I had felt for him in that moment was physical attraction. I had no idea what this man was like or what his interests were, but my teenage mind hadn't been processing that. All of them were laughing and talking as they walked into the store, pushing each other around good naturedly. I decided to shrug off any attraction I felt towards the 20 year old man at that moment, and just kept on browsing the store. I remember looking into my backpack and finding my wallet and phone. Unfortunately, my stupid phone had no battery. Luckily, I did have money on me. The storm didn't seem to be dying down any time soon, and I was getting hungry. I remembered buying some chips and a Gatorade and going to the cashier to pay my things. I was just about to hand the cashier to pay my things when I felt an arm wrap around my waist."

Athena paused, her voice wavering slightly, her gray eyes turning the color of fog, yet they darkened with anger. She cleared her throat, uncrossing her leg and crossing the other one over it. "My first instinct was to step on whoever it was's foot and knee him in the groin, but I hesitated. I don't remember why, and I was an idiot for not doing so. I recall looking up and seeing the man I had seen enter the store with his friends. He looked down at me and winked, flashing me a flirtatious smile. He then turned back to the cashier and pulled out his wallet. He had said, 'I'll gladly pay for this pretty lady's items.' To which I had protested to. But all he did was flash me that swoon worthy smile, and I lost all ability to speak. He paid for my things and handed them to me, smirking the whole time. I quickly retrieved my items, muttered a 'thank you,' and began walking towards the exit. I was one step away from pushing the door open when I felt someone grab my arm, forcing me to stop in my tracks. I turned around, my eyes meeting with pacific blue ones. 'Woah, you can't go out there!' he had said. 'Such a fine lady like you shouldn't be out in the streets with that storm going on. It's not safe.' I remembered scoffing at him and pulling back from his grip and turning around. 'Aw come on, don't be like that. Let me introduce myself at least,' he had suggested. I had stupidly turned around, noticing how the rest of his friends had now crowded around him. I was too oblivious to notice how their eyes were staring at me, one part of my body in particular. The man that had paid for my items stretched out his hand in greeting. 'My name's Blake Daniels. What's yours?' I had shook his hand wearily, eyeing him carefully. 'Athena Minerva.' He had grinned at me and winked, saying, 'Well Athena, since we've already introduced ourselves, how would you like to come back to my place? My friends and I are gonna hang out there, and it'd be a pleasure to have you there as well.'"

My Mother took a deep breath, her eyes clouding over. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched them on her lap. A feeling of understanding settled over me. I had an idea where this was going, and it was not a good one.

"I was tired and all I wanted was to be in a nice warm house, so I had been foolish enough to say yes. Blake had took me to his car along with his friends, and took me to his house. He lived in a nice penthouse, about an hour or so away from my house. We had went in, and had settled ourselves in his living room. His friends and him asked me questions about myself, which I answered carefully. Blake ordered a pizza, and we ate. Thats when things went wrong. Blake put on some music and offered me a beer. I had been having fun with his friends and him, and he seemed like a nice guy, so I accepted. One beer turned into three, and then three turned into six. I was extremely drunk by then. I couldn't process what was going on or what I was doing. All I remember is me dancing with Blake, his friends just dancing around us too. Sometime later, I found Blake and I in his room, making out. My shirt had already been discarded on the floor, and my hair, once in a braid, had now come undone as Blake threaded his fingers through it. My senses were slowly coming back, but I still can't remember all the details. All I can recall is me slapping Blake, grabbing my shirt and putting it on, and running out of there. He shouted furiously after me, and I made no effort to look back. I ran out into the streets, finally sneaking a glance behind me. I instantly regretted it. Blake and his friends were now coming out of the penthouse, all running in my direction. They all still seemed extremely drunk, but they ran as if they were sober."

My Mother stopped abruptly as her eyes began watering and her voice started shaking slightly. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Then she exhaled slowly. She opened her eyes once again, her gray orbs clear and cold.

"I didn't have any other choice but to run into an alley and away from them. My thoughts were somewhat clearer then, and I could think properly. But I clearly couldn't, taken by the fact that I had such a stupid idea as to hide in an alley. I had crouched down low and steadied my breathing. They ran past the alley I was hidden in, and I could hear their retreating footsteps. Thinking they were gone, I had gotten up to run, but soon bumped into a trashcan, sending it crashing to the floor with a loud clang. Soon after, Blake and his friends arrived, having heard the sound the trashcan made. They began walking closer to me, forcing me to retreat further into the alley. Suddenly, I had been cornered by them, only a cement wall behind me. They all advanced on me at once. It was horrible, Annabeth. They-they tore apart my clothes and did the unthinkable. They did things to me that no girl in their lives would ever want."

 _Oh but Mother, I've already experienced those things._

"They almost raped me Annabeth. They were so close. Never in my life had I been so terrified and ashamed of myself. I was so stupid. I should have never gone to Blake's place. But my teenage mind wasn't thinking of all the consequences that would follow after, or the warnings my parents had always given me of not to talk or go home with strangers. Just when I'd lost all hope, three loud bangs were heard through the alley. Three, horrible, loud bangs. Three of Blake's friends dropped to the floor, now motionless, their eyes and faces blank. That just left Blake and only one of his other friend standing there. No one was in the alley. No one. Blake's friend got up from whatever he was doing to me and went to check on one of the guys. Just as he had stood up, another bang was heard through the air. He fell to the floor, his face and eyes having the same blank look as the others. That just left Blake and I. Me, with my clothes torn apart and practically naked in the middle of an alley. And Blake, with his hands holding my wrists above my head and his mouth mid-kiss at my neck. But soon after his other friend dropped dead, Blake began standing up very slowly and cautiously. Once he did, nothing happened. No bangs were heard through the air. No one dropped to the floor with a blank look in their faces and eyes. Nothing. Blake had picked me up and began running out of the alley, completely ignoring his now dead friends. He was so close to the end of the alley, the only exit out of there. _So close._ But then that horrible bang ringed the air again. I felt myself falling, and Blake dropped to the floor, deadpanning."

And then Athena stopped talking. She looked at me, her face emotionless. I could not look into her eyes and see what she was feeling, because those too, were blank. "Then...?" I pressed on, completely intrigued by her story.

Athena sighed. "And then he showed up. There I was, in an alley, lying half naked on the cold concrete. I dared not move. I was not going to do the stupid thing that caused the others to drop dead. I waited, as still as a statue, for 5 minutes. I could not think, I could not speak, I could not move. When I thought about finally getting up, I heard two feet drop to the floor on back of me. I did not look to see who it was. I was not moving. When I didn't turn around, a deep and masculine voice spoke. 'Face me,' he said. I had turned around, only to see a tall, handsome man in his late twenties. He had black hair, combed nicely into place, sparkling, electric blue eyes. He had a muscular build, and a stern look on his face. He wore a pinstripe suit, and in his hand he carried a gun. We just...stared at each other for a while. He didn't say anything. Neither did I. Finally, he spoke. 'I'm taking you with me,' he had said. And the next thing I knew, I was riding in a helicopter. He wasn't much of a talker. It was just me and him. He never said his name. I was too terrified and traumatized to ask. But finally, he told me. 'I'm Zeus. Zeus Grace. Who may you be?' I was familiar with the name, but it never occurred to me that he was one of the owners of Olympus Enterprises. 'Athena,' I'd told him. 'Athena Minerva.' All he did was nod, and we spent about an hour in that helicopter, in complete silence. He took me to his head quarters and introduced me to everyone. Only then did I realize he was one of the leaders of The Olympians. He said I had to join, or he would have to kill me. I had so much to live for, so I accepted, begrudgingly. He said I could continue going to school and he promised I would get my own architecture firm when I was done with college. And he kept that promise. Without him, I probably wouldn't have Olympus Architecture today. He assigned me different tasks to do. I hated him with every bone in my body at first and was very hostile towards him and everyone else in the gang. But soon, I found myself enjoying being in it. Joining that gang was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The Olympians are my family, and they always will be. I will help them no matter what. They helped me becomes the successful woman I am today, and I am eternally grateful."

I let my Mother's words soak in. She... _liked_ being in a gang? She would do anything for them? They're her family now?

I was starting to question my thoughts about Percy and his gang. Sure, they were nice enough, and they all loved each other like brothers and sisters as if they were the same flesh and blood. Would I ever love them as family?

I looked at my Mother, who once again, was emotionless. I hated that. I wanted to be able to see what she was feeling. Not knowing things made feel vulnerable, weak, stupid.

 _Oh wait I forgot. I've_ always _been stupid._

"Mother, how is your story anything like mine?"

A faint smile played on her lips. "Well...they both involved us running away from a mob of people and making the stupid decision to hide in an alley. And we both almost got raped. And we had to depend on idiot men to save us. And those idiot men didn't give us a choice but to join the gang."

I chuckled softly. "I guess so."

Athena smiled at me, yet her eyes looked sad. _Finally. She's showing emotion._

I pursed my lips. "So what I'm hearing is...I'll soon learn to like being in The Olympians? That I'll begin to think of them as family?"

Athena sighed and let her eyes wander to the sheets of the bed. "I don't know _what_ you'll feel Annabeth. We're not the same person. All I'm saying is, what I _do_ know is that you're going to learn to like them, no matter what crimes they commit. I also know, that sooner or later, you'll begin to feel _some_ sort of connection with them."

Her eyes flickered up to meet my gaze. They were stern, yet soft at the same time. The way they got when she talked to me about making decisions, Important ones especially. I nodded slightly. "I understand Mother."

She smiled and nodded at me. Another thought occurred to me. "Mother...how do you know Percy? Well, besides the fact that he's in The Olympians. And who's Perseus?"

Athena smirked mischeviously at me. "Annabeth, perhaps you haven't fully recovered yet. I would have expected you to have caught up more quickly. For your first question, when Zeus brought me to meet his brothers, who were also leaders of The Olympians, one of them seemed to have developed a crush on me. Poseidon, who is also Percy's father."

I bit my lip, trying to contain the smile forming on my lips. Now I knew where this was going, and it was quite amusing. Athena's eyes glinted teasingly. "Poseidon practically worshipped me. He was there to my beck and call. But of course, I rejected him multiple times. He just wasn't my type. Too ambitious and impulsive. He never thought things through. I guess you could say I...used his little crush for my benefit. I would ask him to do things for me, and he would without a second thought, no matter how ridiculous the task was. But turns out, Poseidon was smarter than I thought. He caught on to what I was doing, and he was furious. Instead of being like a gentleman towards me, he began acting like such a _psoli."_ I bit my cheek to keep from smiling, knowing perfectly well that 'psoli' meant 'dick' in Greek. "So naturally, I started acting like a bitch to him. We've never been on good terms since. I now despise Poseidon, yet I still enjoy our constant bickering. Sure, he is good-looking and all, but I wasn't really attracted to him for who he _was._ Too oblivious for me. So when he had Percy, I started treating him like I treat his father, which is always fun. The only difference is that Percy doesn't come up with a snarky comment like his father does, and he just stays quiet. All I can tell from him is that he gets angry."

I cracked a smile and shook my head, knowing perfectly well that this was something my Mother would do.

"As for your second question, _Perseus_ is Percy's full first name."

Laughter soon overtook me. I mean, it wasn't that funny, but I just really wanted to have a good laugh after what I've been through these past few days.

"I can't imagine why his parents named him that, but he hates it when someone calls him by his full name. That just brings more reason for me to tease him like that," Athena said with a smirk.

I recalled Percy flinching when Athena called him Perseus, but I felt a nagging feeling that there had to be a reason why he didn't like it. A personal reason. I'd have to wait to ask.

"But Perseus is a good young man. He has done a great job at keeping The Olympians together and the most feared in the country. He has managed to recruit more people to the gang than his own father and uncles ever did. He's a fine young man. I like him, but don't tell him nor Poseidon I said that." Athena warned, a stern yet amused twinkle in her eye.

I nodded, a smile on my lips. I gently lowered myself back into the pillow, letting my head become absorbed by the soft material. I closed my eyes shut, wanting to relax for a moment. My life was becoming too hectic. And it had just happened in a matter of-how many? Three? Two days?

I opened one eye. "Mother, what day is it today?"

Athena looked at me, a puzzled look on her face. "It's Wednesday already. You've been in the hospital for a whole day already."

I sprang up from my bed, ignoring the pain that jutted up my side like wildfire. _I've been in the hospital for a day already? How-what?_

I tried to gather my thoughts together. I had met Percy on Saturday. I had gone to the bar on Sunday. I went to talk to my Mother on Monday...And stayed in the hospital for the whole day on Tuesday. And now it's _Wednesday?_

"How long am I staying in the hospital for?"

My Mother sighed and clasped her hands in her lap. "Well...Dr. Solace says you will remain here for two more days. Meaning you will be out Friday afternoon. You still need time to heal."

I groaned and shut my eyes. I can't possibly stay here in this hell for two more days. I want to leave. I want to go to a photoshoot and see my agent Melissa. I want to walk down that familiar runway in ridiculously tall high-heels.

Wait... Friday...Melissa.

I opened my eyes and tilted my head up so I could see the ceiling. I brought up a hand to my forehead, sliding it down my face. I groaned audibly once again. "Fuck my life."

Athena peered at me quizzically. "What's wrong now?"

I shut my eyes once again. "I have an interview this Friday at 8:00 PM. Melissa told me that this interview was very important and I absolutely _had_ to go. She said if I didn't show up she would, and I quote, 'Give the paparazzi the pictures I took when you got so drunk at this party, you poured syrup all over yourself and the floor, and went sliding across it as if it was a waterside.' She _cannot_ give the paparazzi those photographs. It will be absolutely humiliating and I won't hear the end of it from the public."

My Mother chuckled and shook her head. "Ah, Melissa. Always using blackmail to get you to do things."

I rolled my eyes and nodded. My Mother narrowed her eyes in thought and tapped her long, royal blue colored fingernails on her thigh, they way she does when she thinks things over. Finally, she turned her attention back to me. "All right Annabeth. I will take you out of the hospital on Friday at 6:00 PM sharp. I will take you to the studio, where you can talk to Melissa and make up some excuse of why you've been missing, because surely she's been tearing apart New York trying to look for you. She had called me several times, but I sent her call to voicemail. _I_ didn't even know where you were, so I would've been no help. You'll get ready for your interview, and you'll be telling the public the plan Piper had, explaining how you will be taking a break from modeling for a while. This will make things easier for all of us."

I nodded solemnly at her plan and sunk back into the pillow. This will be simple. Nothing complicated. All I'm going be doing is telling the whole United States why I'm taking a break from modeling. _Oh yeah. So, I was almost raped, and these three guys came and saved me, killed the guys, and turned out to be members from The Olympians, the most wanted gang in the whole nation. Turns out Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon Jackson, one of the wealthiest men in the U.S, is the leader to The Olympians. Wow, I know right? Anyway, they were gonna kill me, but gave me the option of joining their gang or dying. So now, I have to quit modeling, one of the things I love doing most, to do stupid crimes, kill people, sabotage other companies and do drug deals. So, yeah everyone. See you next year!_

I shook my head, wishing things could be that easy. Just telling the truth would be so much simpler. But I can't. My Mother's company and reputation would go down the drain. I couldn't do that to her.

My Mother's voice stirred me out of my thoughts. "I forgot to mention that Dr. Solace will be arriving soon to check on your wound and give you some painkillers for it."

I nodded mutely, having the sudden urge to use the bathroom. My side hurt like hell. I could barely move without half of my body feeling like someone was hacking at it continuously with a knife. "I'm going to the bathroom," I mumbled. My Mother nodded and gave me a worried glance.

I sighed. "It's fine Mother. I can get there myself." I already knew what she was going to do without her even saying anything. Athena's eyes shone with concern and she pursed her lips. "Well, I have to leave anyway. I have some sketches I need to complete for an upcoming hotel some business people are planning to put up." Athena got up and walk towards the door. She glanced back at me. "I'll see you in the morning Annabeth."

With that, she left the room. I wiggled out of the covers, trying to move as little as possible, yet failing miserably. I bit the inside of my cheek to try to ignore the pain, but I couldn't. It was too much for me. Never in my life had I experienced this much physical pain. _Physical_.

Finally managing to tear off those heavy and hot covers, I slowly swung my leg over the bed. I bit my lip, bracing my hands on either side of me to push up off the bed. Ever so slowly, I rose, my arms supporting my weight. I stood up, only to cry out in pain when my side practically lit on fire. I sunk back into the bed, tears forming in my eyes. _But I will not let them fall._

After a while of swearing and wincing and drawing blood from practically everything inside my mouth, I managed to get to the bathroom. I walked in, pleased to see it clean and tidy and smelling nicely. I glanced at myself in the mirror and stifled a scream.

My hair was like a rats nest. It was sticking up in different directions and was frizzy and poofy. My eyes were sunken and bloodshot, my gray orbs now looking duller. My face was a sickly pale, making me flinch. My lips were dry and cracked, and I had to lick them several times to get them back to somewhat normal. No one would ever recognize me as Annabeth Chase, America's hottest, most famous supermodel in the state I was in right now.

I ran a hand through my tangled blonde mess of hair, sighing in frustration of how much I would struggle to have to use the bathroom. _More swearing and blood._

* * *

After I'd used the bathroom, with a lot of difficulty might I add, I had gone back to bed. I pulled up the covers so they covered my legs only. I sunk back into the comfy pillow, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep and never wake up. But my wants were soon interrupted with a knock at the door.

"Fucking shit," I muttered silently. I sighed heavily. "Come in."

The door opened slowly, and a man about my age walked in. He had blonde locks and pretty blue eyes that sparkled cheerily. He grinned, revealing pearly white teeth, going along great with his happy attitude. He was tall, a couple inches taller than me. He gently closed the door behind him.

"Hello, Annabeth. I'm Dr. Solace, but you can call me Will," he said with a grin, striding over to me. He held out his hand for me to shake. Tentatively, I shook it, smiling back at him.

"Well, hello Will. I suppose you're here to give me those painkillers? Because I'm desperate for some right now."

He chuckled, placing his clipboard on the stand next to the bed. "Of course. But first, let me take a look at that wound of yours."

* * *

 **This chapter was more of a filler for you guys. I decided to make Athena an attentive and good mom, instead of her usual bitchy prospect she is in most stories. I also decided to make her like Percy, but dislike him at the same time, you know what I mean? It's also been brought to my attention of all the grammar mistakes I'm having with this story. Also, with school and all, I hadn't had time to look it over and fix any mistakes, but now that I'm on summer break, I'll definitely be editing it. So please, excuse any problems with spelling, punctuation, or grammar with the story, I will try my best to fix them ((:**

 **~Kat**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hiii guys! This update is extremely early so yay!**

 **kcwashington: Your comment made me laugh for some unknown reason. I'm sure you're a very talented writer, but Thank you so much for that! Very kind of you ((:**

 **Now, chapter 12 to Sworn off Love:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

"Annabeth? Hello?"

The sound of knocking on the door woke me from my sleep. "Ugh," I groaned, sitting up, wincing as the light from outside hit my eyes. I rubbed the sleep out of them, scrunching up my nose. I yawned, stretching my arms over my head.

I only felt a slight jab of pain run up my side, nothing really compared to what I had felt two days ago. I could barely move a muscle without feeling as if my whole body had been lit on fire.

"Annabeth? May I come in?" A familiar baritone voice was heard from the other side of the door, followed by more knocking.

I ran a hand through my tangled hair, flinching when I tugged on some knots. I sighed. "Come in, Dr. Solace."

The door opened, revealing the cheerful doctor with a joyous grin on his face. "Good morning. How are you feeling?" He greeted, striding over to me.

I forced a smile onto my face, wondering how this man could manage to be so happy all the time. He practically radiated sunshine. "Good morning. And better, thanks to your treatments. I can now move without having to bite my lip to ease the pain."

Will smiled. "Good, good. Now, let me just give you one last check-up, and then I'll see if you're free to go today."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

He gave me a quizzical look. "It's Friday already. You were assigned to be able to leave today unless you weren't feeling better."

"Oh God, I forgot." These two days had passed in a blur. Piper, Jason, Leo, Nico and Bianca had come to visit me on Thursday. We had spent the time just talking. I'd felt better after they left, and I found myself enjoying their company. I had decided that I liked those people.

"Where's Thalia, Reyna and Percy?" I'd asked.

"Oh, they went out to take care of a drug deal," Leo had said, as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

Ah. I'd forgotten these people were in a gang.

They were so nice and easygoing, I couldn't seem to wrap the idea of them being in The Olympians around my head. Impossible.

The sound of Will chuckling interrupted my thoughts. "Yes. These days do fly by rather quickly. Well, can you please sit here?" He said, gesturing towards the side of the bed.

I threw the covers off of me, shuddering as the cold air hit my skin. I swung my legs carefully over the bed, letting them dangle off the side. Will strode over and gently lifted the hem of the dress. I immediately stiffened, my heart beginning to race, but relax soon after. _He's a doctor._ I chided myself. _He won't do anything to you._

Right. That's what I'd thought when I had met _him._

Will ignored this and brought up the hem enough so he could see my now patched up wound. Ever so carefully, he removed the patching. Once he did, all it revealed was a bluish and purpulish tinge on my side. It looked really gross. There were stitches lining up my side, but overall, it seemed better.

Will nodded, his eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. At last, he shrugged and let go of the hem, letting it fall back down my body. "It looks fine now. But first, let's see how well you can be moving." He gestured me to stand on the floor.

I obliged, my body tingling as my bare feet hit the cool floor. I felt a slight tinge of pain on my side, but nothing more. "Walk around for a bit." Ordered Will, watching me expectantly, clipboard at hand.

I nodded and began taking steps around the room. I felt fine, only a few stabs of pain once in a while, but nothing too bad.

Will nodded and smiled at me, wrinkles forming in the corners of his sparkling blue eyes. "You look fine to me, Annabeth. No pain or anything?"

I shrugged a shoulder and shook my head. "I mean, just little winces of pain here and there, but I feel much better than I did before."

Will nodded and scribbled down something on his clipboard. "Very well. You can rest for a little while longer. I will be back later." With one last smile, he strode out the door, shutting it close behind him.

I sighed and walked back towards the bed. I slowly climbed back into it, ignoring the throbbing in my side. I sunk back into the pillow, shutting my eyes. A sudden thought soon hit me.

 _Im going to have to wear heels._

My eyes flew open.

Oh boy.

* * *

 _"No! Please, don't do this. Please, no," I begged, backing up farther into the room._

 _His eyes glinted mischeviously as they raked down my body. "Aw, come on, Annie. Let's have some fun first."_

 _I suddenly bumped up against the cold wall. My heart was racing a hundred miles per hour. Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't control them. I was scared of him, for the first time ever._

 _"No! I clearly saw you with her. I don't want anything to do with you anymore! I broke it off with you, why don't you understand that?" I screamed, my fear turning into anger._

 _His eyes flashed irritatedly, yet they still held that hungry gleam. "Annabeth, don't speak to me that way. I gave you everything. What you saw wasn't real. You clearly need to get your eyesight checked." He inched closer to me, starting to unbutton his shirt._

 _"My eyesight is not of your concern." I responded shakily, my fear taking over once more._

 _But he didn't respond. He just kept walking closer, closer, until he was pressed up right against me._

 _"Stop it! Leave me alone!" I shrieked, trying to shove him off of me. But he wouldn't listen. He smashed his lips on mine as his hands roamed over my body._

 _I pounded on his chest to get him off of me, but he wouldn't budge. I sobbed uncontrollably, tears flowing out of my eyes._

 _He then brought his hands under my shirt and began bringing it over my hea-_

"Annabeth? Can I come in?"

My eyes flew open. I sat up abruptly, my breathing ragged and heavy. I was sweating all over, and I flung the covers off of me, desperate for some cool air to hit my sweat-gleaming skin. My heart felt as if it would fly out of my chest. Something tickled my cheeks, and when I brought my hands up to my face, I realized that I was crying. I furiously wiped away every tear, leaving my face burning from the friction.

 _Stop it, Annabeth,_ a voice inside my head reprimanded. _It was just a dream._ I took a deep breath, forcing myself to relax and calm down my heartbeat.

More knocking was heard on the door. "Annabeth? Are you awake?" I recognized that deep voice girls would swoon over. It was Percy's.

I took a shaky breath. "Y-yeah. Come in." My voice wavered slightly, and I cursed myself for letting it do that.

The door opened and Percy walked in, with his usual black leather jacket swung over his shoulder carelessly, black jeans, and a nice blue shirt. He wore black sunglasses, shielding my view from his eyes. A silver chain hung from the side of his jeans, jingling as he walked.

Long story short, he looked hot.

Now, I didn't keep myself from judging how a man looked. If I thought a man looked hot, then okay. If I thought a man was cute, okay then. If they weren't good-looking, fine. I just wouldn't let them get close to me, that's it.

He lifted his sunglasses up and set them on top of his tousled black hair. His sea green eyes were unreadable, and I became frustrated that I didn't know what he was feeling. The only feeling that seemed to linger in them was sadness. Why? I don't know. But I wanted to.

He studied me for a while, not saying anything. I lifted up the covers higher, unsettled by his gaze on me. Finally, he tore his eyes away from me and grabbed a chair and sat opposite in it, so that the back of the chair was against his chest. He peered at me cautiously. "How are you feeling?"

I sighed and blew a loose curl out my eyes. I was sure I looked like I had just crawled out of a sewer, but for once, I didn't care how I looked. Because according to _him,_ I'm ugly and pathetic. Guess I should let those words outshine right now.

"Fine," I responded. "My side doesn't hurt as much as it did two days ago, so I'm getting better."

Percy nodded, his eyes studying my face for a second. "Good," he said at last.

"What time is it?" I asked after a heartbeat's silence.

Percy took out his phone from his back pocket and took a quick glance at it. "5:00, why?"

I blinked. _What the hell? Its 5 already?_ "Damn. Dr. Solace literally seemed to have come check on me 30 minutes ago. And it was like, what? 1:00?"

Percy smiled faintly and nodded slightly. "Yeah. Time sure does fly. Why'd you ask, though?"

I sunk back into the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, my eyes darting to every smudge in it. "My Mother's supposed to come pick me up at 6 sharp. I have an interview today at 8. When I get there, I'm supposed to talk to my agent Melissa and explain why I've been gone. And during the interview, I'll tell the public that I will be taking a break from modeling for a while," I explained.

"Ah," Percy said. "I had forgotten about that."

I sighed once again and pulled the covers off of me, my body heating up once more. A silence passed over the room. It was a mix between awkward and uncomfortable silence. That's a weird combination.

"My Mother explained why she joined The Olympians," I said at last, tired of the silence.

Percy let out a deep breath and I heard him shift in his seat, his chain jingling. "Yeah... It's hard to believe that Athena went through that."

I nodded and closed my eyes. It was hard to believe. I wonder how my Mother went through all that yet managed to keep a perfectly composed and confident demeanor in front of others. Then another thought hit me. _My Mother's just like me._

We both had to deal with almost getting raped... well maybe almost, and we have to keep a prideful and confident look in front of the public. Any person wouldn't believe those things occured to us because of how perfect we act. Yet inside, we both know how hurt and broken we are.

A smirk danced on my lips as I thought about something else my Mother had revealed to me. I sat up and turned to face Percy, who was on his phone, swiping up and down with his thumb. He looked up from the screen and met my gray eyes. He looked at me quizzically. "What?"

I smirked once more. "My Mother also revealed her history with your Father."

Percy rolled his eyes and scowled, yet I could see the corners of his lips trembling slightly. "That's something I don't like to think about."

I chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him teasingly. "Was he as lovesick as a puppy for her?"

Percy smirked slightly and nodded his head. "Most likely yes. Your Mother... Athena's very tricky. My Dad didn't realize what she was doing to him until a month later. My Father told me she would flirt with him and when he flirted back, she would ask him sweetly for him to do something stupid for her. My Father would fall for it and do it."

I laughed, questioning my Mother's ability to get away with things once more. "He's still mad at her for that?"

Percy snorted and smirked. "Oh yeah. Hasn't had a single day without remembering how Athena Chase played him."

I laughed once more, glad to have Percy's company. He was easy to talk to when his eyes weren't screaming 'murder.'

I glanced at Percy's arm for a second and saw a long red line run across it and travel all the way up, the rest hidden by his shirt. Then I remember what he'd been doing yesterday. "How'd the drug deal go?"

Percy's eyes widen and he narrowed his eyes in question at me. "How do you know about that?"

I shrugged. "When the others came to pay me a visit, I'd asked them where you, Thalia and Reyna were, and Leo had said you guys were out doing a drug deal."

Percy nodded, his eyes glinting irritably. He then sighed and looked up. "It was going along fine. But once I passed the case that contained the drugs to the guy I was supposed to give them to, he whipped out a knife and slashed me across the arm." Percy lifted his arm that contained the scar. "Then the other two that were with him came at me with guns at hand. Luckily, Thalia and Reyna were there so they managed to beat the shit out of the two other guys and kill them. I fought with the man that had cut my arm. I managed to throw him to the floor, take out my gun, and shoot him. Then we all ran out of there with the case."

I was silent for a moment. "Wow," I said at last, not knowing what else to say.

Percy simply nodded, eyes dark. "Yeah, things like that happen sometimes in drug deals. Sometimes the people we're exchanging them with don't want to hand over the money, so they attempt to kill us instead."

All I could do was nod. What was I supposed to say to a man that kills people daily? "Do you always take Reyna and Thalia?" I asked at last.

Percy smirked slightly and nodded. "Yeah. They're quick and agile, and always alert. If something comes up, they're quick to come to my aid. Jason always comes too, but Piper wanted him to come visit you instead, so I decided to just take Thalia and Reyna. I might take one of the others instead sometimes, but they aren't fans with doing drug deals."

"Oh," was all I could say after a while. Now that I was in the gang, would I be asked to do dangerous tasks like these? _Obviously,_ a voice inside me said. _You're in The Olympians. Nothing you do is safe. Every task they might ask you to do will be dangerous._

Percy seemed to notice my expression because he furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Don't worry, Annabeth. I'm not gonna be asking you to do these things. You still need training. The others have been doing this for years already. I'm not going to expect you to be going with me on drug deals. Not if you're not comfortable with it."

His sincere tone surprised me. It seemed genuine, and his eyes shone with worry and concern. Not something I'd expect from Riptide.

But this isn't Riptide. This is Percy Jackson.

"Thank you," I said at last.

Percy smiled slightly at me. "No problem."

A knock on the door interrupted our comfortable silence. I glanced over at it, thinking that it was just Dr. Solace. Percy shot me a questioning glance and I sighed and shrugged in turn. "Come in," I called, already tired of repeating that same phrase.

The door opened and my eyes locked with familiar gray ones. I blinked in surprise. "Mother?" I acknowledged, yet it sounded more like a question.

"Hello, Annabeth," her eyes lingered to Percy, flashing with distaste, confusion, and annoyance. "Perseus," she said sharply, sneering at him.

Percy simply sighed and rolled his eyes and lifted his hand halfheartedly in greeting. "Hello, Athena," he said in a bored tone. A smile danced on my lips, watching how they greeted each other.

Athena eyed him cautiously, as if she were expecting him to whip out his gun and shoot us both. Then, she tore her eyes away from his figured and they settled on me. She was dressed in a white shirt with a gray Blazer and a black pencil skirt with gray stiletto heels. Her chocolate brown hair was combed into a neat bun. "Annabeth, it's 5:25 already. We should get a move on and get out of here as quickly as possible. We don't want to be late for the studio, and Melissa won't quit calling me."

I frowned at my Mother and opened my mouth to ask her why so early when she cut me off. "Yes, yes. I know I said 6 sharp, but I thought I'd take you to the penthouse to get you cleaned up, showered, and dressed properly. You look as if you've just walked through a tornado. Now, I'll go sign some papers in order for us to leave, and you just get ready and get all your things together."

I nodded blankly at her and with that, she left the room, but not before shooting Percy another dirty look. Once she closed the door I snorted and looked at Percy, who was scowling at the door. "She seems to like you," I teased, smirking at him.

Percy scoffed and rolled his eyes. " _Please._ Everytime she looks at me, her eyes practically scream with loathing. She could be the happiest person in the world one moment, but she takes one glance at me, and her entire attitude does a 180."

I laughed and shook my head, remembering how my Mother said not to tell Percy that she actually does like him. "Well," I said, crawling out of the bed carefully. "Guess I better get going."

Percy nodded and stood up from the chair, putting on his leather jacket in the process. I looked around the room and frowned. "Did they bring my purse and stuff too?"

Percy's brow furrowed as he looked around the room. "I'm pretty sure they did- oh look, there they are," he said, pointing to the desk on the other side if the bed. I walked over to it, wincing slightly at the small tugs of pain I felt on my side. I picked up my purse and rummaged through it, searching for my phone. Once I found it, I clicked it on. I sighed and stilled as I saw my whole screen filled with messages from Melissa and twenty missed phone calls from her number. I smirked as I read one of her text messages. _I swear Annabeth Elizabeth Chase, if you don't answer my phone calls or respond to my text messages, I_ will _come for you, no matter if I have to tear down every building in New York to find you._

Thalia and Melissa would get along great.

I grabbed all my belongings and headed towards the bed again, holding my clothes in one hand. "I'mma change now. Are you gonna stay or..?"

Percy shook his head and placed the chair back where it was in the first place. "No, I can't. I've got something to take care of. But I'll make sure to watch that interview. When's it on? At 8?" I nodded. "Yeah, I'll bring the others to watch it as well. I'll see you later, Annabeth. And good luck."

I smiled forcefully and nodded. "Yeah, okay. Bye, Percy. And thanks." Percy smiled in return and walked out the door, leaving me alone.

 _Alone._

What a sad word.

* * *

I quickly changed into the clothes I'd worn the day I was shot, with a different shirt, and walked out of that room. I was sick of it and I was happy to finally be able to leave. I wanted to go outside and breath in the air, no matter how polluted and disgusting it was.

I met my Mother at the front desk, where she was talking to a man about her age. He was a couple inches shorter than my Mother, given her high-heels. He had curly black hair and a mischievous grin. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle devilishly, as if he had just pulled a prank on someone that they would for sure not like. He wore a doctor's coat over his clothes.

I walked over to them and cleared my throat when neither of them noticed my presence. Athena turned to look at me and smiled. "Ah, Annabeth. Let me introduce you to Dr. Hermes, the owner of this hospital."

I turned towards the man and smiled. I held out my hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you," I said.

He grinned and shook my hand firmly. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Annabeth. Your Mother always talks non-stop about you. I was curious to see you in person, and here you are. Except, I had no idea you were the supermodel Annabeth Chase. You're absolutely beautiful on that runway."

I smiled at him, not weirded out by his comment, because he seemed genuine about it and respectful. "Thank you, Dr. Hermes."

He grinned and waved dismissively. "Call me Hermes."

I nodded and smiled once more. "Well, Hermes, nice hospital you've got here."

"Thank you, Annabeth. I try to keep it in tip top shape all the time. I hope the room you were staying in was comfortable enough?" He said, an eyebrow raised.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. I found myself falling asleep once my head hit that pillow. Wonderful place you have here, really."

Hermes smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling. "Thank you, Annabeth. And I'm glad to hear that."

"Well, we should get going. It was nice seeing you again, Hermes." My Mother said with a smile as she held out a hand towards Hermes.

He grinned and shook it firmly. "Pleasures all mine, Athena. And come visit once in a while, so we can have a proper discussion and recall the good old days of when you were somersaulting over business men and shooting them from behind."

Athena chuckled slightly and shook her head. "Those were... interesting days all right. But I'll make sure to stop by, Hermes. Goodbye now." With a wave and a smile, my Mother began striding towards the exit. I smiled at Hermes and waved goodbye and then followed after her.

* * *

We soon arrived at my Mother's penthouse. It was the same as I always remembered it. After all, my Mother had designed this building herself. She had only moved into it five years ago after she thought that the house we'd lived in our whole lives was too far away from her company building. But I knew the real reason why she'd moved out.

The building had about twenty floors, from which my Mother lived on the tenth. Rows of windows lined up the building, and the sun practically made the building light up from the reflection if it on the windows. We walked in, greeting the doorman on the way. My Mother led me to an elevator and we rode up to where her room was.

Once we got there, I immediately went to the bathroom to shower. I was desperate for some of that cool water to hit my skin. Once it did, the water seemed to release the tension in my shoulder muscles, making me feel relaxed. I wanted to believe that the water would wash away all my problems. That once I stepped out of the shower, my life would be back to normal. But what you wish for, doesn't always come true.

Once I stepped out, I wrapped a towel securely around my body and wrapped another one in my hair. Once I walked out the bathroom, I saw an outfit neatly laid out on my Mother's bed. I walked over to it, picked it up, and walked back into the bathroom, not bothering to look at what it was.

It turned out to be a white tank top, black skinny jeans, and a gray cardigan. I quickly put them on and unwrapped the towel from my hair, leaving it still damp. I walked out and sat on my Mother's bed, picking up the gray five inched platform boots. I quickly slipped them on and went to find my Mother, not bothering to brush out my hair since I knew that once I arrived, Melissa would want my makeup artists to fix it. I was glad to know the the boots were comfortable and didn't cause so much pain to go up my side as I walked. Now to convince Melissa not to fling six inch stilettos at me, and I'll be fine.

"Mother?" I called out, peeking into rooms as I walked through the house.

"I'm here Annabeth!" I heard her muffled reply.

"Where are you?" I questioned, not quite sure where she was.

"I'm right here," she informed me, walking out of a nearby room. "Are you ready?" I nodded in reply. "Good, now come along. It's-" she glanced at her watch. "6:30. Let's go."

She grabbed her silver clutch purse, slipped on her sunglasses and began walking towards the elevator.

I sighed and ran a hand through my tangled hair, wincing as I pulled on some knots. I grabbed my purse and slipped on my sunglasses as well. Then, I followed after my Mother.

* * *

 **Alrighty, the interview will be in the next chapter. I'll update that next sometime this week. How'd you guys like this one? I hope you did ((: This ones kinda short, but that's because I made this update early, but the next update will be longer (: please a review, and have a happy rest of your day and week :D**

 **~Kat**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey guys. So, I'm just gonna cut to the shit, because I'm tired and have nothing else to say :/**

 **Itulquiorra: I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying this story even though it's something you might not usually read (: And what's the name of that fanfic? Sounds interesting 0-0 And thank you so much! :D**

 **Disclaimer: No, I do not (and sadly never will) own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

My heart raced as I spotted the building where the interview would take place. I would be featured on Goodnight New York, one of the most watched shows in the city. As my Mother's car neared the parking lot, I couldn't help but feel nervous. What if Melissa doesn't believe my excuse? What if this is the last time I'll ever see her again? Would this be the last interview I ever have?

My Mother must've recognized the troubled look on my face because she reached over and squeezed my hand reassuringly. I looked up to see her smiling softly at me. "Don't worry Annabeth. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

I sighed, my stomach churning uncomfortably. "What if... What if this is the last interview I ever have? What if after this, I'll never see Melissa again? Hell, what if I never get to model ever again?" I said hesitantly, voicing my thoughts to my Mother.

Athena remained silent as she parked the car nearest to the back door of the building. She turned off the ignition, letting they keys swing slightly, jingling as they connected. Finally, she turned to look at me, her analyzing eyes locking with mine. She gave me a faint smile. "Annabeth," she began softly, her gaze never leaving mine. "When I joined The Olympians, I was worried that I would never accomplish my dream of being a successful architect and owning my own company. I had doubts of never being able to pick up a pencil and draw an amazing building ever again. But they helped me out. Those people made sure I made my dream come true. Trust me, you'll walk down that runway again soon enough, and when you do, you'll do it like never before." Athena caressed my cheek, brushing her thumb over my cheekbone.

I brought up my hand to cover hers with mine, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Mother."

Athena smiled and slipped her hand out of mine, placing it on the handle of the door. "You're welcome. Now, let's go inside. I'm sure you're practically leaping with joy to see an angry Melissa."

I rolled my eyes and groaned, placing my hand on my forehead. "Let's just hope she doesn't go all She-Hulk on me."

* * *

Melissa in did in fact, turn into She-Hulk.

My Mother and I entered the building, and once we stepped through the door, the place was pure chaos.

People with earpieces were scurrying around, shouting orders at people. Others were carrying different things around, setting them in different places around the building. Some people were just milling around, talking to others or helping with something. I thought I wouldn't be able to find my agent through all this chaos, but I soon found out, that anyone in a fifty mile radius would be able to spot her.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MATT? HE'S _WHERE?_ OH HELL NO. TELL HIM TO GET HIS ASS OVER HERE _NOW!"_

Those were the first words I was hit with when my Mother and I stepped through the door. She was standing in the middle of the throng of people, her arms crossed and her Caribbean blue eyes narrowed furiously. She brought one hand up to her earpiece and shouted into it. "WHERE THE FUCK IS ANNABETH? YOU SAID SHE'D BE HERE." If looks could kill, everyone in this room would be dead by now. Melissa's features contorted, her eyes blazing with fury and her hands trembling. "YOU LIED TO ME? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU'RE FIRED, YOU IMBECILE. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW? I TOLD MR. ELLIS SHE'D BE HERE FOR THE SHOW. ARGH!" Melissa tore out her earpiece and threw it on the floor, making it snap in half instantly. She stepped on it, the heel of her red stilettos stabbing it senseless.

All the people in the room stared at her in fear, shock, and some looked at her as if she was a maniac. Which right now, she kind of was. One man walked up to her, calmly telling her something. She waved him off irritably, her eyes flashing. "I can't tell him that. Unless you say you know where Annabeth is, I don't want to hear from any of you-" she was cut off as her eyes landed on me. I slowly took off my sunglasses, folding them up. I stared at her blankly, even though inside I was begging her not to kill me. The whole place was silent, no one moving. Melissa and I just stared at each other, not saying anything. Her face was unreadable, her eyes as blank as a white sheet of paper.

It was until the man next to her coughed that broke the spell. Melissa blinked, as if she had been slapped across the face. Then she spoke, and now I find myself wishing she hadn't. "Annabeth," she said in a monotone voice, making me resist the urge to flinch. And then her eyes narrowed. "Annabeth?" Her voice was now incredulous, as if she couldn't believe I was actually there, her eyes now wide. And then they narrowed into slits again. " _Annabeth,"_ her tone was sharp, cold, angry. She strode towards me, her heels clicking against the floor the only sound in the studio. I kept my face impassive, trying to look as nonchalant as ever. I tucked my sunglasses into my purse as Melissa stopped in front of me, hands on her hips.

"Where have you been?" Her voice was deathly calm, making her as scary as ever. I didn't respond, not wanting to say anything with all the prying ears in the room. Melissa must've noticed this because she whipped around, glaring at everyone. "What are you morons looking at? Get back to work." If I didn't know who she really was, I would've thought she was the one running this studio. Everyone immediately ran off in different directions, talking among themselves in hushed voices. Melissa turned back to me, her eyebrow raised.

I cleared my throat and stole a side glance at my Mother, who was looking at me with a troubled look. She took the hint and nodded, turning back to face a scowling Melissa. "It was nice seeing you, Melissa. But if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the ladies room." With a polite smile and another glance at me, she strode off, leaving me and my agent alone.

"Look, Melissa," I started hesitantly, picking at the zipper of my purse. "I had some things come up that involved a friend's family. One of her parents was really sick, and I went to go visit them at the hospital. Her parents are close friends of my Mother's, so she kept going to the hospital for the whole week. I kept going with her, not wanting her to go by herself. I'm sorry I couldn't respond to any of your texts or calls, I was just so busy, and I'd lost my phone for about four days. I'm so sorry, Melissa."

Melissa remained silent, simply staring at me. That's when I realized that there were tears in her eyes. I furrowed my eyebrows in concern. "Melissa, are you ok-" she cut me off by flinging herself at me, encasing me in a hug. I stumbled back slightly, managing to catch my balance. I hugged her back, burying my face in her thick chocolate colored hair. Her scent invaded my nose, the smell of cinnamon and strawberries filling my nostrils. I smiled through the hug, squeezing her.

"I'm just glad you're okay," came her muffled reply. She pulled back, grabbing me by the shoulders. Her eyes were red from crying and her cheeks were flushed. She studied my face with a troubled look. "God, Annabeth," she said, sniffing. "I thought you were hurt or that some bastard had kidnapped you."

 _Something like that,_ I thought through a strained smile. "I'm fine, Melissa. Really."

Melissa studied me for a bit more before smiling, wrapping me in another hug. "So, who'd you fire today?" I asked, a teasing smile on my face.

Melissa pulled back, sighing exasperatedly. "Oh my God. I fired Chloe, David, Xavier, and Ally. Fucking morons don't know how to do their jobs right," she grumbled, crossing her arms. I laughed, happy to be able to hear my friend complain again. _This is probably the last time I ever will,_ I thought bitterly. I pushed that thought away. I have to enjoy everything I'm used to while I can. When I walk out this building, nothing about my life will never be the same.

 _But the day you walked out of_ that _building, nothing about your life was ever the same either._

I shook the thought away, not wanting to think about _him_ right now. Melissa's eyes widened. She took me by the hand and began shoving her way through the throng of people, pulling me right behind her. "We gotta get you ready for the show."

I groaned. "Melissa, can't I just go out like this?" She glanced at me over her shoulder and gave me a once-over. She made a face. "No. We gotta get you into a more summer-y outfit."

"Summer-y isn't even a word," I grumbled as she began to tug my arm and walk me to another place.

She quickly led me to a door labeled, _W_ _ardrobe and Make-up._ She pushed it open and shoved me unceremoniously inside. I stumbled slightly and glared at Melissa, who just strode over to a rack of clothing, flipping through each shirt and dress and skirt. She snapped her fingers to get the attention of the two girls who were rearranging all the make-up items. They looked up at her.

"I need you two to put some eye-shadow on her. A color that makes her eyes pop. Also, some mascara and some light blush. Then, straighten her hair," she order while flipping through the rack of clothes, not even looking up. The two women nodded and practically shoved me into the chair in front of the wide mirror on the wall, lined up with little lights.

Immediately, they began fussing over me. The girl with black wavy hair began searching through the different bottles and pallets on the desk. The other girl with sandy blonde hair began grabbing her flat iron and plugged it into an outlet near the mirror. Then I was suddenly blinded when something was thrown at my face. The material was soft, but it still alarmed me. I ripped the item off my face and spluttered, holding the item in front of me. It was a coral colored playsuit with a white floral print. I glanced to my right to see Melissa standing there, a pleased look on her face. I cocked an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes and pointed to a pair of over-the-knee gray Suede boots on the floor. "You and your gray. You can't go out without wearing at least one item of clothing that's gray."

I grinned cheekily and shrugged. "It's my favorite color. Besides, it matches my eyes." I fluttered my eyes mockingly.

Melissa snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, whatever Annabeth. You're impossible," she turned to the girl that was currently pinning my hair up with alligator clips. "After you're done, put something in her hair that matches the summer-y theme."

The woman nodded and turned back to her flat iron, gently touching it to see if it was hot enough. She nodded, satisfied and picked it up. Through the mirror, I saw Melissa checking her watch. She clucked her tongue. She lifted her head to look at me through the mirror. "I gotta go talk to some other agents for your next photoshoot. I'll see you later Annabeth." She gave me a smile, and then exited the room.

I smiled sadly. _The thing is Melissa, I won't be going to any other photo shoots in a long time._ The girl with black hair picked up her make-up brush and began lightly fluttering it over my cheeks, moving it in a circular motion. I smiled in content. I missed this. This was all so familiar. The tickle of the soft thistles of the brush. The light pull off my hair as the iron tugged at it.

It took about twenty minutes for my make-up artists to finish up. I looked in the mirror once more. My hair was straightened to perfection, not a single curl visible. The dark blends of the eye-shadows made my gray eyes indeed pop. One of the eye-shadows carried some glitter in it, casting a light shimmer on my eyelids. Dark eyeliner lined my eyes, protruding into a wing in the corners of my eyes. The light blush on my cheeks made my cheekbones stand out, giving my face a nice look. My make-up artist had put some lip gloss on me, making my lips glitter slightly and look more moist.

I smiled at my image. If I put on a smile, no one would ever know what really happened to me. They'd see Annabeth Chase. The confident, intelligent, wise, proud, and beautiful woman the whole world sees on every magazine and billboard.

"Miss Chase ," spoke the girl who had straightened my hair.

I turned to her. "Hm?"

She held out a flowery headband. They were bright colors. Yellow, pink, green, and purple. "Ah," I grabbed it and pulled it over my head. I grabbed my hair and tucked it over the back of the headband. I grabbed the front of it and pulled it over my head. The girl adjusted it slightly, smoothing down any hair that stuck out.

"There we go," she said, smiling pleasingly at me.

I grinned back. "Thank you."

She nodded, "No problem." With that, she began tucking away the iron, helping the other woman place back all the make-up items.

I stood up, my legs feeling funny from how long I'd been sitting and a slight tug at my side. Ignoring it, I grabbed the play-suit and boots and went into the dressing room. I quickly slipped it on, as well as my boots. I stood up, taking a few experimental steps. The heel of the boots made my steps more forced, sending jabs of pain up my side. "Oh God," I groaned, sitting down. I put my head in my hands. I inhaled deeply. "I can do this. No problem. I can do this," I chanted over and over, standing up. _Or maybe I can just run out of here, find my Mother, and demand her to take us home._

Sadly, I have to get this over with. After all, it's my last time having an interview.

I walked out the door, taking confident strides. I grabbed my purse and items and walked out the room and into the studio. People were still running around, making last minute preparations. I glanced at my phone to check the time. 7:45.

I blew out a puff of air and looked around to find Melissa. A woman carrying a stack of papers walked briskly by me. I caught her by the shoulder. She turned to look at me with a scowl, but when she realized who I was, her features morphed into a friendly smile. "Why, hello Miss Chase. You look lovely."

I flashed her a winning smile. "Thank you-" I glanced down at her name tag. "Leslie."

Her brown eyes sparkled slightly. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Ah, yes. Have you seen Miss Myers?"

"Oh, yes actually. She was talking to Mr. Ellis near the set of the show."

I whipped my head around in the direction of the stage, and sure enough, she was there. I turned back to face Leslie. "Thank you." She nodded in return and walked away.

I set off in the direction of Melissa, maneuvering around the mess of people. As I walked, I was greeted with a bunch of, "Hello, Miss Chase," and, "You look beautiful, Miss Chase," to which I replied with a polite nod and a strained smile. I finally reached Melissa, who was laughing along with Mr. Ellis to something he had said.

Mr. Ellis was a successful showman. Almost everyone in New York tuned into his show to watch. He was a man in his thirties with short brown hair, warm brown eyes that sparkled when he laughed, and a joyous smile.

Once I reached them, Mr. Ellis greeted me instantly. He gave me a winning grin. "Ah, Miss Chase! What a pleasure to have you here." He held out his hand for me to shake.

Tentatively, I took it, a genuine smile on my face. I gave his hand a firm shake. "Pleasures all mine, Mr. Ellis."

He waved carelessly. "Please, call me Charlie."

I grinned at him. "Well, I can't wait to get this show started."

He cracked a smile, revealing pearly white teeth. He gestured towards the entrance and seats. "Well, look at that. There's gonna be some crowd tonight. I'm sure it's because they found out you were going to be our guest star."

Sure enough, a huge crowd of people were arriving through the entrance. Already, half of the seats were full. I turned back to the showman. "I'm sure it's not that. You have a wonderful show going on here. No surprise people pay hundreds of dollars to see the show live," I replied politely.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I better get going. I have to get ready." With a polite tip of his head, he walked off in the direction of wardrobe. I turned to face Melissa, who was scowling down at her phone, her fingers flying over the screen.

"Meliss-"

She held up a finger, still frowning down at her screen. "Hold up."

She typed in one last thing before turning back to me. She gave me a once-over, nodding appreciatively. "You look fabulous. And it's all because of me," she gloated, whipping her head, making her brown mess of hair get stuck to her lips, courtesy of her lipstick. She spluttered, trying to spit out the hair that had snuck it's way into her mouth.

I snickered. "Yeah, okay, Melissa."

She scowled at me, using her fingernails to pry away the hairs from her lips. "Hey, not everyone can be a sexy, perfect, diva like you."

I blinked at her. She blinked at me. Suddenly, a hysterical bubble of laughter escaped my lips. Melissa looked like she was trying hard not to laugh, but failed miserably. We both burst into laughter.

"Y-you? S-s-sexy?" Gasped Melissa, leaning her body on mine. I shut my eyes, uncontrollably shaking from laughter.

I wiped away a tear from my eye. "M-me? P-perfect?" I laughed hysterically. The stage crew gave us funny glances, their faces pinching up. Melissa and I ignored them, continuing to laugh until we couldn't breathe.

We finally calmed down after about ten minutes of hysterical laughter. Melissa sighed, giving me a fond look that surprised me. "I missed you," she said softly.

I smiled warmly at her."I missed you too, Mel."

Our moment was interrupted when Mr. Ellis walked out of the dressing room, dressed in a nice black suit. His brown hair was combed nicely. He gave us all a cheeky smile. "All right guys! Showtime!"

* * *

The lights dimmed a little, and Mr. Ellis motioned his hands to a band in the back. Instantly, they began playing cheesy jazz music. Out of who knows where, a baritone voice announced, "And here we have... Mr. Ellis with Goodnight New York!"

Mr. Ellis started strutting onto the stage, waving at the crowd of people who were clapping and cheering excitedly. "Hello citizens of New York! My, my, we have quite a crowd this night. I wonder what made this big of an audience show up. Because this place is literally _always_ empty. Like, you could even see those bundles of wheat floating by like in those Western movies."

The audience laughed good-naturedly. I cracked a grin while Melissa rolled her eyes next to me yet smiled. Mr. Ellis strode over to his dark brown desk, sitting down comfortably and clasping his hands over the desk.

He looked at the crowd blankly. The whole place was silent. He glanced around, as if waiting for someone to appear and start talking. He turned back to the crowd. He frowned in confusion. "What are you guys looking at?" The crowd chuckled and Charlie's face lit up. "Ah! That's right! We have a very special guest tonight folks. She's been on every magazine, runway, billboard, and even some commercials. Give a warm welcome to Miss Annabeth Chase!"

The whole crowd erupted into applause and cheers and whistles. But instead of me walking on stage, it was a man with a blonde wig, stilettos, and a black, tight dress. He walked on to the stage with a hand on his hip, strutting confidently. The whole crowd burst into laughter, some letting out wolf whistles and catcalls, and even I let out a chuckle myself. It was part of the show. Just to humor and disappoint everyone. Some people let out some disappointed, 'awws.'

Mr. Ellis looked at the crowd in confusion. "What? This isn't her?" The crowd responded with an immediate "no." Charlie looked flabbergasted. He waved his arms at the drag queen, who was posing sexily at the crowd. "But it looks just like her!"

The crowd laughed some more. The showman studied the not-me. He then nodded seriously. "You're right. I mean, look at those legs! I don't recall ever seeing Miss Chase with such hairy legs." The crowd burst into laughter as the drag queen come over and slapped Mr. Ellis. He simply blinked and snapped his fingers.

"Security! Get this imposter out of here!" He shouted. Two burly men came in to the set and dragged the man away, screaming and kicking. Mr. Ellis straightened his tie. "Simply repulsive," he muttered in disgust. The crowd burst into some more laughter.

Mr. Ellis grinned and rose his hands up and down. "Okay, okay folks. Now, give a warm welcome to the _real_ Annabeth Chase!"

Melissa all but shoved me onto the set, and I had to extend my arms to keep from falling and bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain.

I covered up the cry with a flashy grin and began walking on the set, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd, making them cheer louder.

I laughed and curtseyed for them, and then went to sit down on a black sofa next to Mr. Ellis's desk.

Once the crowd quieted down, Mr. Ellis mock-glared at them. "Now I know why we have such a big audience tonight. Without having Miss Chase here as or special guest, this place would be a literal ghost town."

I grinned at him while the audience laughed. Charlie smiled and turned back to me. "So, how are you, Miss Chase?"

I smiled back at him. "I'm great, Charlie, thank you for asking. How are you?" I all but lied. I was feeling terrible right now.

"Well, since you're on my show tonight, im feeling absolutely ecstatic," he said with a happy smile.

I laughed. "Well, glad to hear that."

He leaned forward seriously. "So, word on the street had it that you were missing this past week," he admitted with a raised eyebrow.

I chuckled nervously. "Yes, I've ah, been off the radar lately, but I'm perfectly fine. Some friends had something come up and I had to be there for them."

Mr. Ellis nodded in understanding with a smile. "That was nice of you, Miss Chase. But there was another rumor that somehow got out as well,"

My heart dropped. I smiled nervously. "Really?"

Charlie's face lit up. "Why of course! This August you're going on a trip to Europe for photoshoots and modeling shows. You're going to be traveling through that whole continent!"

My heart sank. _Oh no._ I forced a smile onto my face. "Ah yes, that's right."

Charlie grinned. "That must be extremely exciting."

I plastered a fake-ass grin on my face. "Yes, it is."

A screen on the wall displayed a picture of me at a photoshoot in a beach in Miami. I was wearing a coral pink sundress with gray wedges, laying nonchalantly in the sand, my hands propped up behind me, the wind making my hair flutter around. Then another one appeared, showing me with a white and yellow flower printed bikini, posing in the sand, the sea green and blue ocean making a beautiful background.

"Look at that. Miss Chase, if I'm being honest here, you could be dressed as a hobo and still look as radiant as ever," commented Mr. Ellis with a genuine grin on his face.

The crowd and I laughed. "Thank you Charlie."

Charlie turned to me. "So, Miss Chase, what place in Europe would you want to visit most?"

I tried not to smile sadly. _I won't be going to Europe, Mr. Ellis._ I plastered a smile on my face. "Hmm... I've always wanted to visit Greece. My Mother was born there after all."

Charlie smiled. "Greece is very beautiful. They pictures you would take there will be magnificent."

 _Tell him, tell him._ A voice inside me ordered. I glanced at the crowd, where my Mother was standing off to the side. She gave me a nod.

I took a deep breath. "Actually, Mr. Ellis..."

He looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, Miss Chase?"

I looked down at my lap. "I ah, can't go to Europe."

He frowned in confusion. "And why is that?"

I looked back up at him. "Because I'm going to be taking a break from modeling for a while."

Some of the people in the crowd gasped. Charlie gaped at me. And the person whose reaction I feared most came running onto the set.

" _What?!_ Did you- did you _just say that?_ You never said a DAMN THING about ANY OF THIS. _What the fuck?!"_

I winced, trying not to notice how much Melissa's eyes were burning with anger and confusion. I sighed. "I'm sorry, Melissa. I wanted to wait until the interview to tell everyone, including you."

Melissa ran an angry hand through her thick hair. "What the fuck, Annabeth? Do you realize how many calls and people I had to contact and fire in order to get you that tour in Europe?"

"I'm sorry," I pleaded with her, wishing she would stop making such a scene. At that moment, the two security guards walked on the set to pull her off of it. When one of them grabbed her by the arm, she drove her stiletto through his foot. He grunted in pain and glared at her.

"I can move on my own, thank you very much," she growled, scowling deeply at them both.

"Melissa, can we please talk about this after? Please," I begged her.

She glared at me, but her face softened when she noticed my expression. "Fine," she gave in.

With one last sad and furious glance, she left the set, leaving the audience and all of us in complete silence. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of awkwardness, Charlie cleared his throat. He peered at me curiously. "Do you mind telling us why you're taking this break?"

I smiled awkwardly. "Well, I have to be helping my Mother with her company for a while. She has been having some... Misfortunes come up, and I need to help her."

Charlie smiled almost sadly. "Oh, Miss Chase, it is so wonderful of you to give up your career for a while to help those you love."

I smiled back at him. _Actually Charlie, the people I'm helping are complete strangers to me._ "Yes, well, you've gotta do what you've gotta do."

Charlie chuckled. "And when can we expect your return?"

"In about six months," I responded carefully. I was worried Melissa might come running into the set again, wailing like a banshee, but she didn't.

Charlie smiled fondly at me. "Well, I'm sure we'll all be extremely happy when you return."

I nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

I stayed on for about ten more minutes, answering questions and laughing at jokes Charlie cracked here and there.

I was dreading going off the set, because then I would have to talk to Melissa. Hell knows how that conversation might end.

* * *

 **How do you guys think that conversation will turn out? Will Annabeth tell her the truth and admit she's been recruited to join The Olympians? My updating schedule is kinda weird now that I'm on summer** **break, so be on the lookout for any updates, because they'll be coming out of nowhere.**

 **I have a poll up, so make sure to check that out! :D I don't know when I'll close it yet.**

 **And don't worry guys, Percabeth will be coming up very soon ((: I know your all dying to read when they finally get together, I am too, but we all gotta be patient. A lot of secrets will be revealed when they do, and you guys might hate or love me for it XD**

 **~Kat**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! Heres one of those wacky updates for you XD So.. I found out I'm going to Mexico July 20th, so I'm going to try to be updating a lot until I leave. I'll be back August 10th though, so I won't be missing too long. And I'm so so happy to hear so many of you enjoying this story! It's amazing to read all of your reviews ((:**

 **Guest: Umm, thank you, I guess? XD idk what to say to someone that calls me a good liar. So I'll take it as a compliment and say thank you. But with what you were saying, were you merely pointing out what I'm doing, or are you suggesting what I _should_ do? About not saying everything, just telling what people should know?**

 **Guest: Yes, I try to update weekly. This story will have at least from 27-30 chapters? I'm not sure yet. And thank you so much for your kind words! (((:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I walked off the set, still hearing the deafening claps as I walked away. I couldn't help feeling nervous. _What am I going to tell Melissa?_ Certainly not the truth. All the truth does is bring people misery. I've experienced enough of that in just a week.

I glanced around, trying to find her. Then my eyes landed on her Caribbean blue ones, which were completely expressionless. I hated that.

I walked in her direction, trying to form the words in my head. _Im sorry Melissa. It's cause I got practically kidnapped and forced to join a gang, the gang being The Olympians. You know, the ones that terrorize the whole country? Yeah. So now, I can't be modeling for a while, and I probably won't in forever. I hope you understand not my decision, but theirs._

If only things could be that easy.

I slowed down as I neared her, talking cautious steps towards her, just in case she might jump me. She crossed her arms over her chest and her face impassive. I looked down at my hands. "Look Melissa... I'm sorry, okay? I should've told you before the show, but if I did, I wouldn't have been comfortable during the interview. I feel awful about this, really. But I don't have any other choice. I have to help my Mother. And besides, you know that her company is going to be passed down to me soon. I have to get ready for that."

She studied me for a bit, her expression skeptical. Her eyes searched my face for answers.

 _Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it._

"Annabeth... that's not the real reason you're taking a break, is it?"

My heart sank. She didn't buy it.

I sighed and looked at her with pleading eyes. "No, it's not. But please, Mel, don't ask me questions. I can't tell you the real reason I'm taking a break."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "And why not?"

"Because, it might put you in danger. _Please,_ Melissa, don't ask me why. I can't tell you. Just let me do this, please. I-I have some things to take care of, and if I tell you what those things are, this might be the last time we see each other ever again."

Melissa stared at me with wide eyes. "Annabeth, if someone's threatening you, you need to call the police-"

I shook my head adamantly. "No, nothing like that. But still Melissa, don't say anything, just tell everyone what I said in the interview. I'm simply taking a break to help my Mother. Please."

Melissa studied me with careful eyes, which were glinting sadly. Finally, she nodded. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. I squeezed her tight, not wanting to let go. "I have to do this," I whispered. "I'll see you soon enough."

"Promise?" She whispered shakily.

"I promise," I responded, planting a firm kiss to her head.

I wasn't sure I would live long enough to keep that promise.

* * *

Ten minutes later, my Mother and I were already driving back to her penthouse. I would get some clothes, and then Nico would come pick me up.

When we arrived, I went in quickly and grabbed some clothing. Athena assured me she would see me again and come visit soon to check on me, to which I nodded silently.

"You'll be okay," she whispered, brushing her thumb over my cheek. I gave her a strained smile in return. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead, and then I turned and went into Nico's car.

He greeted me with a silent nod and when I settled in, he began driving us to HQ.

* * *

The ride to HQ was quiet. Not the awkward kind, but more of a comfortable one. Nico's presence was... interesting. The aura he emitted was sharp and cold, in a good way, though. It made me feel sure someone was there with me, besides the silence that was filling the car.

"We... saw the interview," Nico said at last.

I was stunned he had even said anything, and it took me a while to process that he had just said something. I blinked. "You did?"

Nico nodded and smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. His smile seemed unnatural, like he didn't do it often. He seemed like the kind of guy not to show any emotion at all, and to keep an impassive, scowling face all the time. "Yeah. You did good."

I smiled faintly. "Thanks."

He was silent for a moment, before speaking again. "Your agent... Melissa. How'd your talk with her go?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. I shrugged. "It went...fine I guess."

"You didn't tell her the truth, did you?" He asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

I opened my eyes again, staring at the dark road lit up only by the car's headlights. The stars shone brightly here, not like in the city, where you can't seem to spot one star because of all the pollution filling the air. I watched as they twinkled softly, not seeming to have a care in the world. _If only I could feel like that right now._

"Of course not," I said at last. "Knowing Melissa, she'd grab whatever person's phone was at hand and dial 911. Then she'd lock me up in the penthouse or something, and go hunting for you guys as well."

Nico smiled softly. "She seems to be another version of Thalia."

I chuckled silently. "I was thinking the same thing when I met her,"

Nico scrunched up his nose. "On second thought, I'm good with one Thalia. One of her is enough and partially safer for the whole world."

I laughed, suddenly feeling slightly better, yet not quite enough. What will I do? I'd have to get use to not waking up to my phone ringing to answer Melissa's call to wake up. I'd have to get use to not traveling so much. I'd have to get use to not being shoved into a chair and being fussed over by women trying to fix my hair and add a little bit of make up to my face. I'd have to get use to not seeing all the people I work with. _I'd have to get use to not modeling at all._

I sighed sadly. This is gonna be harder than I thought.

* * *

We finally arrived, and I took all my clothes with me as we entered the house. Nico opened the door with his key, and we walked in. The place was familiar enough. Now that I knew my Mother had designed it, it seemed to be even more beautiful than before.

I was too busy admiring the structure of the place that I didn't notice the others standing in front of us to the right. Percy cleared his throat and I snapped out of my daze. I looked at them. Their faces were impassive, and I suddenly felt overwhelmed.

I wouldn't be modeling anymore. I wouldn't be able to see the people I practically grew up with. I wouldn't be doing the thing I love anymore. I wouldn't see Melissa. I'll barely see my Mother.

I'm all alone.

Instead, I'd be running around the country, selling drugs, killing people, vandalizing property, selling illegal weapons and items, sabotaging companies, robbing places.

I'd be a criminal.

And I'd be doing all these things with people I just met.

Complete, utter, strangers.

I took one glance at all of them, my eyes getting watery as reality finally kicked in, and I ran up the staircase and to my room, the heels of my boots clicking against the floor, the only sound heard throughout the house.

* * *

I ran into my room and slammed the door behind me, flopping down on my couch as the tears kicked in, flying down my face in streams. Uncontrollable, wild, heavy streams.

I propped my elbows on my knees and dug my fingernails into my still straightened hair, desperate to let all the tears flow out. My body shook as I sobbed, thinking of all the things I would have to leave behind and never see again. _Melissa... my Mother... my career._ Never to be seen or done again.

I didn't know how long I was crying until I heard a soft knock in my door a few minutes later. _Go away,_ I wanted to say. I thought it was Percy, and right now I didn't want to deal with him. I didn't want to see him. He was the cause of my emotional breakdowns lately. I was getting tired of that.

Three more soft knocks were heard on the door. Silence. "Can I come in?" I heard a voice say. But it wasn't male. It was female. The voice was muffled by the door, and it made it hard to recognize who it was.

"Yeah, sure, come in," I said finally, feeling guilty if I sent the person away, even if I didn't want to see anyone right now.

The door opened slowly, and a girl with hair as black as coal braided into a french braid and obsidian eyes walked in. Reyna. She closed the door softly behind her, and carefully walked over to sit down next to me. She just... sat there. Didn't ask how I was feeling. Didn't try to hug me. Didn't try to say everything would be fine. I was grateful for that.

I was feeling terrible.

A hug won't solve all your problems.

Everything would _not_ be fine just because someone says so.

"Before I joined the gang... I lived with my mother, father, and older sister," she began hesitantly after a while of silence. I didn't look at her as she spoke, just wanting to stare at the floor as she talked. But I listened with full attention.

"We were a happy family. We would do everything together and play games with each other. Just like any other happy family would. My parents loved each other so much. Everytime they looked at each other their eyes shone with adoration and love. My father would always buy gifts for my mother, even when it wasn't a holiday or her birthday. He did it out of love and kindness for her. He also made sure to get my sister and I gifts as well. Would never forget about us for a second. One night though, all of that changed," Reyna sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her closing her eyes. "My mother had gone out for groceries one night. It was dark outside, pouring and pouring. My father told her not to go. That we would wait until the next day to all go to the grocery store. But my mother was always stubborn, she insisted on going by herself. She bid us all goodbye until she returned and left after planting kisses on each of our heads. My sister Hylla and I went to bed right after."

I sat up, turning to look at Reyna with wide eyes. She was telling me her story. She was talking about her past, the thing Percy said she didn't like to talk about. Reyna's eyes were shining with tears she did not let fall. She took a shaky breath. "My mother never came back home that night. My father did not go to sleep, waiting until she would return safe and sound. But it was not like that. She didn't come home. My father was pacing around the whole house, worried sick about her. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, coming to ask if my mother was home. He responded with a simple sad smile, a kiss to my head, and then told me to go back to sleep. And I did. What woke up my sister and I was the loud sobbing emitting from my Father. We asked him what was wrong. All he would respond with was a shake of his head and more tears running down his face. The next day, police came to our house. I was only thirteen years old. I did not know what was going on. Eventually, my sister and I found out that my mother had died. She was driving, and the roads were slippery. She had gotten a call, and as she fumbled to answer it, she lost her grip on the steering wheel and crashed into a truck. The road made the impact even worse, and my Mother had died instantly." Silent tears ran down Reyna's cheeks, landing on her hands quietly.

"Everything was different then. We had a funeral. Cried. Sobbed until there were no more tears left to shed. After that, my father was different. He began drinking. Going to bars. He would leave my sister and I alone at home most of the day, and return late at night in an extremely drunken state. It was horrible. He'd suddenly start crying all over again, smashing beer bottles at the floor and yelling at the ceiling of why my mother left him. I was scared. My sister and I would hide whenever he got like this. We would not talk to him anymore. He made it seem like we didn't even exist. He stopped bringing us gifts. He did not hug or kiss us anymore. We practically weren't alive to him. This continued on for two years. Hylla and I raised ourselves. She cooked food for us both. She made sure I continued going to school and finishing all my chores and homework. She helped me. Hylla became my mother. She helped make me happy when I was sad whenever I thought about my Mother. She made me feel safe whenever my father came home, drunk out of his mind. She was there for me through it all."

Reyna shut her eyes once again. "But soon, Hylla started leaving from the house more often late at night. She would come home in the morning, and when I'd ask her where she had gone, she would simply answer by stroking my face and saying that everything was going to be fine. One night though, my father crossed the line with Hylla. When she was about to sneak out of the house once more, he caught her. He was extremely drunk. Couldn't even form coherent sentences. He was mad. Extremely angry at Hylla for no reason. He grabbed a knife," Reyna paused to gulp, more tears running down her face. "He was going to kill Hylla. Me, a fifteen year old girl watching all of this. He cornered Hylla, and I immediately grabbed a knife from the kitchen, ran to him... and stabbed him."

She breathed shakily. She turned to face me, her eyes sad and broken. "I killed my own Father," she said, tears running down her face like a river. She took broken breaths of air. "Hylla instantly grabbed me, and we ran out of the house. We ran and ran, never looking back. We didn't bring anything with us. We traveled all of New York, hiding in all different kinds of places. We hid from police. From people. We slept in alleys and abandoned buildings. This was our life for about two months. Soon, Hylla brought me somewhere to meet some other women her age, about nineteen to twenty-five years old. Hylla was only twenty, and I had turned sixteen already. I found out Hylla had formed a gang. The Amazons. This was where she snuck out to every night when we were back at home. Committing crimes was how she fed us both when we were at home and my father completely forgot about us. We stayed in their warehouse for about a week. Hylla was saying we were going to form our new lives there. I didn't want to. I didn't want to be living with people I didn't know. I wasn't comfortable living with those women. So, after about a week, I ran away. I never looked back. I wandered the streets for about a month, trying to survive on my own and avoid getting caught by the cops."

Reyna paused for a second, her eyes glassy with tears, but she was not crying anymore. "Then Percy found me. He was twenty years old then. Only four years older than me. I had been sleeping in an alley that night when Percy came up to me. He had grabbed my shoulder, and I had instantly sprung up and kneed him in the stomach and kicked him, causing him to fall. However, instead of attacking me, he simply laughed. I was weary at first, but then he explained who he was. Percy's Father and uncle's company was slowly rising to the top, and they were getting wealthier by the minute. I vaguely recognize Percy, but I still didn't trust him. He asked me if I wanted to join his gang, The Olympians, claiming that I had good reflexes and agility. I had turned him down. I did not want to associate with another gang, since my sister was the leader of one herself. Percy has asked me why, and I refused to tell him. He said that was fine, but he insisted on bringing me to his house so he could give me some food and somewhere to sleep for the night. I did not trust him at all, but I was too tired and had gone too long without food and a bed to sleep in, so I accepted. When we arrived, his cousins were there. Thalia, Jason, Nico and Bianca. They told me they were in The Olympians as well, and told me of all the good things being in that gang would bring me. I was still not convinced, and said no to their offer. They understood however, and didn't pry anymore. They fed me, let me take a shower and a change of clothes, and gave me a room to spend the night in."

Reyna paused to take a breath. "I had nightmares that night. I had dreamt of the night I killed my father. I had woken up screaming, crying and sweating profusely. Percy had come running into my room, asking me what was wrong. I was tired of keeping it a secret, and that night I had spent at his house, I learned that he was a trustful person and a good man. So I told him. From beginning to end. When I had finished, he had simply wrapped me up in a hug. He didn't say anything for a while, but when he pulled back he told me he would not go to the police. He said that he would give me a home and let me stay with him and his cousins in their house. He said that they would be a real family. That they cared and looked out for one another. I wanted to be part of that family. I wanted to believe that what he was saying was true, so I joined The Olympians. That was one of the best decisions I had ever made in my entire life."

She smiled sadly at me, putting her hand on top of mine. I stared at her for a moment. "I'm sorry, Reyna. You didn't have to tell me that," I whispered at last.

Reyna smiled wistfully at me. "It's okay, Annabeth. And yes I did. I figured that for you to feel better about this gang, I would tell you my story. I don't like telling people about my past. I don't like to remember all those horrible things. But these people helped me through it. They were kind enough to take me under their wing and give me a home. I'm grateful for that," she paused. "I know you might not trust us, believe me, I know about not trusting people, but just give us a chance. We'll look out for you. We won't let anyone hurt you while you're in this gang. You'll get back to modeling soon. We'll help you continue your career. I promise," she smiled at me warmly.

I smiled back. I leaned forward and gave her a hug, and I felt her arms wrap around me as well. "Thank you, Reyna. I needed that," I admitted.

She pulled back and smiled softly at me. "Your welcome Annabeth. And," she said hesitantly, her eyes darting to the door. Her dark eyes met mine again. "Give Percy a chance as well. I know he can be a bit moody at times and seem harsh, but he has gone through a lot of things as well. Because of all those things, they've left him broken, and that might explain why he seems to scowl all the time. But trust him. He can be such a nice man once you get to know him. He'll protect you. He's protected us all."

She gave me a tentative smile. Eventually, I nodded slowly, a faint smile on my lips. "All right."

Reyna smiled at me, and suddenly, we heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, having an idea of who it might be. The door opened and the subject Reyna was talking about stepped in. Percy's eyes darted between Reyna and I, trying to figure out what we were talking about.

Reyna smiled and stood up. "I have to go spar with Leo. I'll see you later, Annabeth, and think about what I said." With that she walked out the door, shooting Percy a warning glance as she did so. When she closed the door softly behind her, Percy carefully went to sit next to me.

His presence brought back all the things I was worried about, and I cursed myself for remembering. More tears started swelling up in my eyes, threatening to spill out. _Oh God, Annabeth. Why do you have to be so emotional?_

Percy's green eyes settled on me, and they narrowed in concern. "Annabeth..." He said softly. "It's okay."

Tears ran down my face. "No, it's not, Percy. Just because you say so doesn't mean it is," I whispered. Just then, I felt strong arms wrap around me, and I stiffened immediately. Percy was hugging me. _Oh no,_ I groaned inside, wanting to escape his embrace. But I didn't. I felt safe. His hug wasn't possessive. It was warm and comforting, and I didn't feel the need to pull back and run from him. His hug didn't bring back memories of _him,_ and I was happy for that. Slowly, I relaxed in his embrace, leaning back into it. "Percy, I'm scared," I whispered softly. His arms wrapped tighter around me, in a reassuring way.

"It's okay, Annabeth. I won't let anything or anyone hurt you. I'll protect and help you. Just like I have all these years with the others. No one will go near you. Wherever I send you, or whatever I send you to do later on, I'll be there with you," He whispered back reassuringly.

I felt a feeling stir in the bottom of my stomach, but I ignored it. "What if I never see Melissa again? What if I never go back to modeling again?" I said softly, more tears running down my face.

I felt Percy shake his head. "I'll make sure you see your agent again and return to your career as soon as possible. Dont worry Annabeth. We're all here for you," he said. " _I'm_ here for you."

His words sent that uncomfortable churn in my stomach, and I felt the need to throw up. I pushed those thoughts away and focused in Percy's smell. He smelled like the ocean and a little bit of Old Spice. His scent was calm and reassuring, and I suddenly felt all my worries slipping away, fading into the back of my mind.

Soon enough, I fell asleep.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After a while of me holding Annabeth, I realized she had falled asleep. I smiled slightly and picked her up bridal style, carrying her over to her bed. I removed the covers off the bed and gently set her down. I removed her boots and set them down in the floor. I pulled the covers over her and watched her sleep for a while. She looked so peaceful. So beautiful. I wanted to hold her once more, but I knew I couldn't. I was surprised she even let me touch her, considering her breakdowns whenever I tried to even touch her hand. But this time... it was different. I'm starting to believe she's trusting me more, but now I'm thinking Reyna said something to her to make her trust me, even if it's just a little amount.

After about two minutes, I heard a soft knock on the door. I walked over to it and opened it. There stood Thalia, a serious look on her face. She looked over my shoulder to see Annabeth sleeping and she smiled slightly. She turned back to me and beckoned me to come outside. I closed the door behind me softly and looked at Thalia expectantly. "What happened?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Jason sent me for you, said he talked to Daddy dearest and had to speak with you. He's downstairs in the meeting room."

My eyes widened. "Zeus called him?"

Thalia's eyes narrowed in disgust but nodded.

 _This can't be good._

* * *

I walked briskly down the hall and to the steel door. I knocked on it and it opened instantly. I spotted Jason sitting down, scowling at the map.

He looked up when the door shut and met my eyes. "Zeus called and gave me some news. It's not good."

I walked over to him. "Why? What happened?"

Jason sighed and stood up. "You need to call Poseidon. He needs to explain some things to you," he said. He began walked towards the steel door, yanking it open. "I'll be upstairs in the living room with the others if you need me."

With that, he walked out.

* * *

I quickly dialed my Father's phone number, knowing something bad happened. Zeus almost never called, and when he did, it was to give us some bad news.

I put the phone up to my ear, and my Father answered on the second ring. "Perseus?" He said in his deep, calming voice.

I winced at the name. "Yeah. Dad, what happened?"

Silence on the end. "Did you ever take care of that Brandon Fabiola guy?"

My eyes widened. _Shit._ "No, I totally forgot about that bastard. Why? What did he do?"

Poseidon sighed in the other end and I heard him shifting in his seat. "He announced to the public that Olympus Enterprises has been shipping illegal weapons. By ship, airplane, and have some stashed in different hotels. Zeus is absolutely furious. He's fired at least ten employees already and is currently smashing all the vases in his office right now."

I shut my eyes and clenched my fists. _Motherfucking asshole._ I opened my eyes. "So this is all over the news now?"

Poseidon sighed once again. He sounded tired. "Yes, yes it is."

"Shit," I spat. I've been so distracted with Annabeth I haven't been focusing on my gang business. I looked down at the map on the table. "Fabiola's in L.A right now, correct?"

"Yes. He's currently there for a business meeting. I believe he'll be there until Wednesday," he answered.

I thought for a while, trying to form a plan in my head to get us out of this mess.

"Okay. I'll ah, I'll make sure to rob a bank or two, just to get the news's attention away from the shipping situation. Might even blow up a building or so. We'll go to L.A tomorrow morning and arrive sometime in the afternoon. We'll find out where he's going, and I'll take four members with me to kill him. Tell uncle Zeus not to worry," I said, finally forming a plan.

"Yes, yes. That will work perfectly. Good luck Percy," Poseidon said on the other end.

I sighed. "Thanks Dad. I'll call when we finish him off." Not waiting for him to respond, I ended the call.

I walked towards the steel door and opened it, heading upstairs to the living room .

* * *

When I walked in, the whole room went quiet. I stood there for a second, making eye contact with each one of them.

"What'd he say?" Bianca asked finally.

I sighed. "Pack your bags, guys. We're going to L.A."

* * *

 **Woahoho. Guess Annabeth is going to be traveling a lot after all. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it. Also, there's Reyna's story for you guys. Pretty sad )): but at least she has a new family now :D**

 **Also, I added in a little nice Percabeth moment in there for you guys ((: I loved writing that part. How was it? Please leave a review, and I'll see you guys soon in the next update, which will be soon (((: Also, please excuse any mistakes in this. Like Hannah Montana always said, "nobody's perfect! You gotta work it! Again and again til I get it right..." No? No one? Ok** **, I just embarrassed myself 0-o oh well, WE'RE ALL WEIRD :DDDDD**

 **~Kat :D**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hi guys! Kinda sad right now... My cousin had a surgery for her back, and when I went to see her at the hospital, it pained me to see her all tired looking and** **sickly, since she's always such an energetic and sassy af person. I'm just praying to the gods that she gets better soon. But anyway, IM SO HAPPY FOR ALL THE REVIEWS YOU'VE GUYS GIVEN ME! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING :DDD And don't worry everyone... Percabeth's coming...** ** _Very_** **soon.. :D**

 **Disclaimer: Now I'm mad again, cuz I have to repeat this every dam chapter: No, I do not own PJO -_-**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

 _"Stop it! Get the fuck off of me! Please, stop!" I thrashed and screamed as he pinned me against the bed, my shirt already discarded on the floor._

 _He simply smirked at me and continued kissing me roughly, his hands tightening their grip around my wrists. I screamed like never before, sure someone would come and rescue me from this insane bastard._

 _But no one did._

 _Here I was, finally a damsel in distress, calling for help, but no one came. I had no knight in shining armor. I had no fair maiden come help me. No one._

 _He sucked on my skin harshly, sure to leave visible marks. His hand trailed down to my jeans. He unbuttoned them and slid the jeans down my legs. I sobbed uncontrollably. "Please. No... Stop! Stop! NO! STOP IT!"_

" _Annabeth._ Annabeth! Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

I sat up quickly, almost colliding with someone's forehead, yet their head flew backwards just in time to avoid the collision.

Someone's piercing green eyes stared into mine, concern etched all over his gorgeous face. "Annabeth," he said gently. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer. No, I was not okay. My breathing was irregular, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. My heart felt as if it would fly out of my chest. I was sweating profusely, my skin gleaming. I subconsciously pulled the covers tighter around me, despite how hot I felt right now. I had dreamt of that night again. The night that ruined my life. I winced as the memories flooded back into my head. The screaming. The crying. The forcefulness of his actions.

"Annabeth," Percy's soft voice broke through my thoughts. His eyebrows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

I nodded stiffly. "I-Im f-fine," I forced out, cursing myself for stuttering. But I couldn't help it. Those memories were too vivid. My dream seemed so real. I was shaken to no beyond. Nothing could repair me.

Percy's eyes bore into mine, unconvinced. I swallowed thickly, trying to push down any stutters that might come out of my voice when I spoke. "What happened?" I asked, glad that my voice didn't waver.

Percy studied me carefully for a second before responding. "I heard you screaming for help. I came as fast as I could. And when I arrived, I found you screaming and withering and kicking in your sleep."

 _Fuck my life._ "Oh," I said weakly, not knowing what else to say.

"What were you dreaming about?" He asked gently, his hand tentatively reaching out to place it on mine, but recoiling hesitantly.

"I-I can't remember," I lied. Of course I remembered. I would never be able to forget about that night. All those images still haunt me. This is why my life is so fucked up. But hasn't it always been?

No. _He_ fucked it up. Both of those bastards did.

Percy stared at me in concern. He knew I was lying. He could see it in my eyes. The ones that gave everything away. No matter how hard I put up a facade, if you look into my eyes long enough and actually search through them, you'll find out that I'm not the wise, intelligent, beautiful, _perfect_ woman everyone sees.

Im broken. Scared. Terrified. Pathetic. Ugly. Stupid. Vulnerable.

 _Alone._

What a miserable word.

I had been _alone_ in a room with _him_ all night. No one came. Not a soul. People pretended not to listen. They pretended to go on about their days, ignoring the screams and yells coming from that one room. The room of the boyfriend of the famous supermodel Annabeth Chase.

Those people had left me _alone._

Finally, Percy sighed, not questioning me any further. I almost sighed in relief. _Almost. "_ Get your stuff together, we're leaving somewhere."

I stared at him in puzzlement and shock. " _What?_ Where? Why?"

Percy sighed again, sounding tired. He stood up from the bed and looked down at me. "We're going to L.A to take care of some... unfinished business. We leave at 12:00. Get ready."

I watched him leave, staring at his retreating figure, wondering what he meant by _unfinished business._

My eyes widened.

Oh God.

* * *

I quickly took a shower, enjoying the feeling of the cool water hitting my skin. The water relaxed my tensed muscles, unknotting all the dread and fear and pain from them. For about five minutes, I just stood there, letting all the water drops hit my body, enjoying the tickling sensation on my skin as the water collided with it.

I got out and quickly dried my body, rubbing the towel harshly against my skin, as if by doing so I could rub away all my problems and worries. It isn't that easy.

I wrapped a towel around my body and hair, and then stepped out of the bathroom. I quickly walked over to my bed, where I had all my clothes laid out. I settled for a lacy black shirt and some dark blue jeans. I put on some black wedged sneakers and quickly brushed out my hair. I braided it into a neat french braid. I grabbed the bags I had stuffed my clothes into and walked outside. I figured they'd all be in the kitchen or living room, so I went in the direction of the kitchen first. My bags brushed up against each other, creating a rustling sound that echoed eerily throughout the silent house.

I walked into the kitchen, finding them all milling around, eating a quick snack before we left. Percy was the only one not there.

Leo was the first to spot me. He grinned broadly and clapped slowly. "Ladies and gentlemen, she's been on every magazine, on billboards, commercials, every runway this country has ever seen... Miss Annabeth Chase!" He began clapping and cheering wildly.

I felt a pang in my chest with those words, remembering that I'll never be seen on those things again. I forced a smile onto my face and shook my head softly.

Reyna must've seen past my fatigue because her smile faded softly, being replaced with a sad expression. She punched Leo in the shoulder and shot him a look. I saw a light blush tint his cheeks, and a smile tugged at my lips.

Piper walked over to me and draped an arm across my shoulders. She grinned at me. "Good morning, Annabeth! How are you feeling?"

I put on a strained smile. "Great, Piper," I lied. "How are you feeling?"

Her grin widened, her pearly white teeth blinding me. She twirled around the room, her arms spread wide. "Absolutely amazing! I can't wait to get out of New York. We've been here so long, it was getting kinda boring. I'm so excited to go to L.A," she sighed happily.

Jason grinned dopily at her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Nico scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not like it's not any less polluted in L.A than it is here," he grumbled.

Jason and Piper ignored him, simply gazing lovingly at each other. Nico and Leo both gagged at this and leaned on the counter for support. Bianca and Reyna both slapped them upside the head, causing them to frown and grumble in protest. I grinned and shook my head.

Piper and Jason continued to stare at each other, until Thalia intervened and pushed their faces apart, scowling. "You both are gonna make me throw up. Please ogle each other somewhere else," she grumbled. Jason chuckled and wrapped his arms around Thalia, laying his head on hers.

"Aw, come on Thals. If you want someone to hug you and give you some love, all you gotta do is ask," he said teasingly.

Thalia scoffed and narrowed her eyes. "Jason, if you wanna keep those muscular arms of yours, I suggest you let go of me _right now,"_ she growled.

Jason's eyes widened and he immediately unwrapped his arms from her, settling on wrapping them around himself. Thalia turned to point an accusing finger at both Jason and Piper. "And I most definitely do _not_ want to hear you two having sex on the airplane. Fucking disgusting noises you guys make drive me to the point where I want to rip my ears off," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at them. The others mumbled in agreement and Thalia raised an eyebrow at them.

Jason sighed in exasperation and shrugged, and I found it weird how he didn't even blush at her words, as well as Piper. "Fine, fine. No sex. Got it."

Thalia eyed him once more and finally turned to me, where I had simply been smiling at their little argument. She rolled her eyes and grinned at me. "Sorry for that, Annabeth. Brothers can be such idiots," she said matter-of-factly, earning a scoff from Jason. She noticed my bags. "Oh, you don't need to bring those. The house we have over in L.A is just like this one, except your room does have clothes and everything in it, so don't worry about bringing your own clothes," she reassured me.

"Oh... okay," I said. My heart sank a little. Will we not return to New York?

Thalia must've read my thoughts because she answered, "Oh, don't worry. We'll come back to New York sometime soon. Depending on how long it will take to take care of all our situations."

I nodded in reply, wondering how long _that_ would take. I pointed hesitantly towards the door. "Um, I'mma go take these upstairs then-"

"Oh, that's okay, Annabeth. Jason and I'll go put then in your room," Piper volunteered, grabbing Jason hastily by the arm and grabbing my bags. She rushed out of the room and quickly walked out the door, not waiting for my reply.

"...Okay then," I said, staring blankly at the door.

Nico snickered. "Probably gonna get a good fuck on the way up there."

Bianca glared at him and slapped him in the arm. He simply scowled at her and stuck his tongue out, which she maturely copied back.

Thalia rolled her eyes. I turned to her and pointed behind me. "...So what I'm hearing is...they have sex a lot?"

Thalia snorted and shook her head. "Not a lot, just a few times a month. We just make fun of them for it since we can sometimes hear them, but they're usually really secretive about it. Just knock before you enter a room, and you'll be okay," she explained.

I nodded slowly, but my face broke into a soft smile when Thalia grinned at me. I suddenly remembered that a certain green-eyed man wasn't in the room. I furrowed my eyebrows. "Where's Percy?"

Reyna smiled. "He went to monitor our next target for a while. That's why we're heading to L.A, where our target, Brandon Fabiola, is at right now."

"Ah," I responded, remembering these people killed for a living. "May I ask why you guys are going to kill him exactly?"

Leo frowned. "The dumbass told the public Olympus Enterprises was shipping illegal weapons. Through their different fields too. By boat, plane, and some being stashed in hotels."

"Wow," I breathed, surprised by this. I hadn't had a chance to check out the news, and surely this was all over it. I looked at them questioningly. "And, I imagine Percy's going to cause some distraction to take this off people's minds?"

Bianca nodded, a pleased smile on her face. "Yep. We're not sure yet, but I'm sure he's going to tell us once we're on the plane, or at home in our house in L.A," she explained.

I nodded silently, not sure what else I should say. This was all new to me, and these people were talking about it like they were going out for ice cream.

Just then, the door opened, revealing a scowling Percy. Leo raised an eyebrow at him. "What happened? Where is the bastard right now?"

Percy growled silently, making me stare at him with wide eyes. His eyes were blazing with anger, and I felt bad for the man they were going to be hunting down. "Fabiola's telling the public that he'll gain control of Olympus Enterprises soon, right after they find those weapons." Percy's lips suddenly curled into a wicked smile. "Luckily, he won't be alive to do that."

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, we were boarding the plane. Jason and Thalia were up front and driving the plane, while the rest of us were simply in the back, discussing what would happen when we got there.

The plane was huge. It didn't have those rows of chairs you would see on normal airplanes, but they were lined up against the wall. There was a huge open space in the middle, where all of us could easily stand and walk around with enough space. There were two separate rooms as well, big enough for there to be six beds in each, but still enough room for all of us to wander. One room for the girls, and the other for the boys.

Percy was currently pacing back and forth on the open space if the plane, a pensive and angry look on his face. He had been doing this since we boarded the plane, and I'll admit I was getting a bit tired of seeing him do this for ten minutes straight. Bianca was seated next to me, looking at Percy with a bored look on her face.

I leaned over to her. "How long is he gonna keep doing this for?" I whispered, still staring at Percy's moving figure.

Bianca smiled dryly. "For about one more minute, and then he'll actually start talking to us."

I nodded slowly and continued staring at Percy pacing back and forth, muttering things under his breath. After about a minute like Bianca said, he stopped in the middle of the room and looked at all of us, a serious look in his face.

He sighed. "All right guys, this is what's gonna happen. We're going to arrive in Los Angeles sometime this afternoon. We'll get settled in quickly, and then I'mma take four of you with me to go rob a famous jewelry store, Jewels and Diamonds. The rest of you will go rob a bank called Changing Charge Bank, which is well known throughout the city, led by Jason. Then we'll all regroup at HQ once more, and we'll all set out to blow up a building, and our best man at blowing things up will be joining us as well. The Candrid Hotel to be exact. This is one of Fabiola's buildings, and it'd be a shame to see it burn down," he said with a mock frown, yet his eyes gleamed with mischief. "Tomorrow morning I'll take four of you with me to go take down Fabiola at 8:30 in the morning, since at that time exactly, he'll walk out of his office and start heading down to the lobby. We'll ambush him there."

He finished with a dry smile, his eyes blazing with anger and determination. Leo snickered and clapped slowly. "Don't know how you do it, Perce."

Percy smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "I have my ways."

Reyna smirked and rolled her eyes. "Will any other members be joining us?"

Percy clasped his hands together. "Ah yes, I was getting to that. Our best jewelry thief will be coming with us. As for bombing that building, I recently discovered that Fabiola has drugs hidden in it, and we need someone special to help us find them for other drug deals."

The others smiled and smirked knowingly. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, wondering who these special people were. "May I ask who these people are?"

Percy smiled wryly at me. "Why, our jewel thief is none other than Miss Hazel Levesque, our man helping us find those drugs is Frank Zhang, and the guy helping us blow up that building is named Charles Beckendorf."

* * *

After Percy gave us all the information we needed, he sent us to our rooms to get some rest. Once the girl's heads hit the pillow, they fell asleep. I came to learn that Bianca mumbles a lot when she's sleeping.

I tossed and turned in the bed. I couldn't go to sleep. I didn't _want_ to go to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, _he_ appeared, and that whole damn night began replaying over again.

After tossing and turning for about ten minutes, I sighed and sat up. I looked at the other girls sleeping soundly, wishing I could fall asleep that easily. I stood up and slipped on my wedged sneakers and went to the center of the plane, where I sat down in one of the cushioned seats.

I exhaled slowly, listening to the humming of the plane as it soared through the air. I watched out the window, staring at the peaceful looking cities below us. _Peaceful now, sure._ I watched the wispy white clouds as we flew past them, and I wished I could jump on a cloud and just sail away with it. Away from my problems.

"Can't sleep?"

I gasped and jumped in my seat, my heart thumping wildly. The lights of the plane had been switched off, so I had to squint to make out the figure of the man who spoke, but I've come to recognize that masculine voice from anywhere.

I inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm my alarmed heart. "You scared me," I told him, my voice wavering slightly.

I saw a white flash of teeth and I knew he was grinning. "I tend to have that affect on people," he said, coming to sit down next to me.

I sighed dramatically. "Of course you do."

Percy chuckled softly, his eyes trained on the floor. "So, you didn't answer my question. Couldn't sleep?"

I inhaled through my nose and exhaled out my mouth slowly. I shut my eyes and shook my head softly. "No, I couldn't."

I felt Percy's gaze on me. "Mind telling me why?"

I opened my eyes and saw his green eyes staring intently at me. I looked at him thoughtfully, wondering if I should tell this man the truth about what happened to me and why I'm so fucked up.

 _He's the leader of a gang,_ a voice inside me reminded.

 _He's been nice to you so far,_ another voice acknowledged.

 _What will he do if you tell him? He'll laugh at you for being so stupid. Don't tell him,_ the other voice demanded.

 _Remember what Reyna said, you can trust Percy,_ the other voice inside my head said.

I looked at Percy, worry lines written all over his forehead. I exhaled quietly. "I-I was having a nightmare," I said at last, shutting my eyes at my own stupidity. I want to tell him. But at the same time, I don't. I'm scared.

Scared of what?

I don't know.

I felt Percy's eyes study me for a bit, and I knew he wasn't buying my answer. I mean, I wasn't exactly lying. I was just not telling him the full story. Finally, I heard him with and shift beside me.

I opened my eyes and saw him leaned back into the seat, his muscular arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed so that I could see his long eyelashes rest against his cheekbones.

"What time will we get to Los Angeles?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Percy opened one eye to look at me, but then shut it. "Around 4 or 5. We'll set out to the jewelry store around 8, which should take about an hour or so. We'll go to The Candrid Hotel around 10," he opened both his eyes to look at me. "You should get some rest."

 _Thats the last thing I want to do right now._ I sighed. "Is it okay if I just stay here? I don't think I'll be falling asleep anytime soon," I said hesitantly.

He opened his eyes to look at me, and I saw them soften slightly. "Sure, Annabeth, go ahead," he suddenly stood up. "I'mma go check on Jason and Thalia to see how they're doing. I'll be right back."

He began walking towards the front when I stopped him. "Wait, aren't you going to get some rest?"

Percy smiled softly. "I've been a gang leader long enough to know that I don't get rest." And then he opened the door and walked into it, leaving my alone once more.

There's that word again.

 _Alone._

What an inconsolable word.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After checking up on Thalia and Jason, I walked back into the seating room, where I found Annabeth sound asleep.

I chuckled softly. _Look who said she couldn't sleep._ Her head was lolled to the side and some of her curls had escaped her braid, now springing wildly around her face. Her legs were tucked in, and I couldn't believe she was in a comfortable position.

I walked over to her and tucked an arm under the back of her knee, then bringing my other arm up to cradle her head. I carried her back to the girl's room bridal style, looking down at her sleeping figure and smiling.

I set her down gently on one of the beds, then covering her body with the comfy sheets. I brought it up to her chin, smiling when she mumbled incoherently and flipped over to her side.

With one last glance, I walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind me. I was still smiling as I walked back to the seating room, but the smile faded when I realized something.

I had been smiling a lot lately. I had been being too nice lately. And all because of Miss Annabeth Chase.

That girl has brought a new feeling inside of me, one I haven't felt in two years. Whenever I'm around that blonde, I seem to change.

I don't know if that's good or bad.

 _I have to be careful,_ I warned myself. I've found myself getting too attached to that supermodel.

That would have to change.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the ride, I hadn't been able to sleep. But then again, I find my sleep wavering less and less lately. I've never felt so tired before, and that's been making me nervous.

Before I knew it, we had descended. Thalia and Jason had lowered the airplane into our garage, which is more of a building itself rather than a garage.

Our HQ house in California was actually out in the open and nearer to the city than the one in New York. People here would actually be able to spot the house and think of it as any other house, yet it has the same layout as the one in New York.

I got up from the seat, and even if it was comfortable, I stretched my arms above my head to loosen up all my knotted muscles. I was about to tell for the others to get you when an idea crossed my mind. Smirking, I walked off the airplane and stood in front of it. Thalia and Jason soon walked out as well. Thalia looked at me as if I was an idiot. "What the hell are you doing, Kelp Head? Are you gonna wake-"

She stopped short when I put a finger up to my lips. Scowling, she crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at me. Jason looked at me with interest, leaning against the side of the staircase we use to board and walk off the plane.

Grinning slyly, I pulled my gun out of my back pocket and pointed it towards the ceiling. I cocked it and pulled the trigger five times, the bullets creating a loud echo throughout the garage. Thalia scrunched up her nose at the loud sound and Jason smirked.

No later than a minute, everyone can running out of the plane, weapons at hand, their clothes disheveled and hair tangled. Their eyes were wide with alarm. They all finally looked at me, and when they noticed my gun in hand, they scowled at me.

"Percy, you fucking sc-" Reyna began growling, but I cut her off short.

I raised an eyebrow. "Scared you?"

Reyna glared at me and pointed her hunting knives at me. "I will throw these at you, Jackson. I am not afraid to do so."

I smirked at her and crossed my arms. "Go ahead."

With a growl, Reyna quickly somersaulted towards me, but in mid-air, flung a knife at me. I quickly ducked and rolled to the side. When she landed, she spun and hurled her other knife at me. I immediately rolled to the other side, sending the knife clanging to the floor. I stood up calmly and brushed myself off, finally looking Reyna in the eye and grinning cockily. "Still can't get me, Rey."

Her expression was fierce, but she rolled her piercing onyx eyes and went to retrieve her knives, grumbling along the way. I grinned at her and turned back towards the others. Piper glared at me. "You fucking scared the shit out of us, Percy. We thought someone had broken into the garage and started shooting at us."

I winked at her. "Great way to keep you guys alert, even while you're sleeping."

Piper rolled her eyes, yet I could see a smile dancing on her lips.

Nico wasn't so lenient. He scowled deeply at me, his eyes flashing irritably. "Yeah, whatever Percy. When you're sleeping I'll be hooking you up to a cannon ball. Let's see if you're alert enough to avoid getting sent to the moon."

I grinned at him. "Might I remind you that I have explosives and weapons surrounding every inch of my room. Good luck without setting one of those off."

Nico glared at me and walked past me, shoving me in the process. "Go to hell, Percy."

I chuckled. "With pleasure," I called out.

He simply flipped me off without even turning around. "I'll be sleeping, so no one fucking dare come wake me up, or else you lose an arm."

I turned back to the group, smirking as the rest of them rolled their eyes at Nico's antics. I then realized that a certain blonde was not present.

Piper must've known what I was thinking, because she answered, "Oh, Annabeth's still sleeping. I don't know how the hell she managed to with all that noise, though."

I frowned. That might be a problem if Annabeth's such a heavy sleeper. I shrugged the thought away. "Okay guys, go get settled in. We'll set out at 8, so do whatever right now I guess." I announced, starting to climb on the steps to board the airplane. They all nodded in agreement and began walking outside and to the house.

I walked into the silent plane and went into the girl's room, where Annabeth was tossing and turning in her bed. As I crept closer to her, I heard her mumbling faintly, "Stop... please no... get off... don't touch me... GET THE FUCK OFF!" She sat up abruptly, almost hitting her head with mine. I jumped back quickly, staring at her in concern and bemusement.

She was extremely pale, her skin gleaming with what I presumed was sweat. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, and she was gasping for air. Her eyes were wide and scared, her gray orbs a foggy gray. Tears were streaming down her face, making her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks puffy and red. She desperately wiped away the tears, leaving red lines on her face in her wake. She clawed the covers off of her instantly, her eyes darting around the room.

"Annabeth, calm down. It's okay. You're fine. No one is going to hurt you. You're fine..." I whispered gently, coming down to sit next to her slowly. Her eyes focused on me, her face returning to it's normal color and her eyes clearing. She sniffed and brushed a curl out if her face.

I tentatively reached out to grab her wrist. She immediately recoiled and stiffened, her eyes getting wide. But then, she relaxed and let me grab her by the wrist gently. I reached out my other hand to reach under her chin to redirect her gaze towards me. I narrowed my eyes at her in concern. "Annabeth, are you all right?"

She nodded, visibly gulping. "I-Im p-perfectly fine," she stuttered, clearly not fine at all.

I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing she wasn't telling me the truth. "Annabeth, what's wrong? What were you dreaming of?"

"Nothing," she snapped suddenly. I raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst.

She sighed and gently removed my hand from under chin. "I'm sorry Percy. But I'm fine. It was just a stupid nightmare. I'm fine," she reassured me with what looked like a strained smile.

I wasn't buying any of that shit. She was clearly frightened, and I couldn't imagine what would cause her to act so scared. "Annabeth, what are you hiding from me?"

She narrowed her eyes at me, but exhaled slowly. She shook her head sadly. "Nothing, Percy. I'm fine. Really."

I stared at her, knowing she was keeping something from me. But when I looked her in the eyes, I noticed they were pleading, sad, and still held that broken look to them. She didn't want to talk about it. I could relate to that. People prodded me about being so harsh and hostile sometimes, and why I never date girls anymore. They'd ask me what was wrong. I'd give them the same answer Annabeth's been giving me. _I'm fine. It's nothing._

I sighed and stood up, letting Annabeth's wrist fall from my grip. "Well, we've landed. Let's go head inside already."

Annabeth nodded, her eyes glued to the bed sheets. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

When we walked in, it was the exact same layout and design as the last building. I was still amazed by the beautiful structure of it, and didn't mind that it was a replica.

"Do all of your houses have the same design and layout?" I'd asked Percy.

He had shook his head and smiled. "No. The ones in New York, California, and Texas have the same design. The other houses in the other states are different. I don't know why Athena chose to make them the same, but I guess it makes it easier to remember where everything is, right?"

I had simply nodded in reply.

My thoughts flickered back to when Percy had woken me up. I was sure I was mumbling in my sleep, and I'm starting to worry how much he had heard of that. The way his eyes shone with concern was enough to make me want to tell him the truth and story, but I can't bring myself to it. I'm too scared and pathetic to do so.

I was now simply laying in my room, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what my life has become. I'm now a criminal. Annabeth Chase, a criminal. I wouldn't be free anymore. I will be in constant danger now. I will be training to kill people, fight, and do other law-abiding tasks. I shut my eyes. What a horrible life that sounds.

I heard a soft knocking on my door. "Yes?" I called, opening my eyes to look at the door.

Bianca poked her head through the door and smiled at me. "Hey, Annabeth. Percy wants us downstairs at HQ right now."

* * *

Soon, we were all downstairs, Percy at the head of the table, studying us all intently. Finally, he crossed his arms over his chest. "All right guys. I'll be taking Thalia, Annabeth, and Nico with me for that jewelry thievery. Along with Miss Levesque of course. The rest of you will be led by Jason to rob that bank. Remember," he said, pounding his fist on the table. He looked at each one of us in the eye. "Leave no trace behind. Be careful. Try not to do anything stupid," he gave Leo a pointed look, who was fidgeting with something in his hands, but glared at Percy when he said that.

"Then we come back here at around 9:30. Then, we all set out to The Candrid Hotel with Frank and Beckendorf. The next morning, I'll be taking Reyna, Jason, Piper, Leo and Annabeth with me to take down Fabiola," Percy said, his eyes scanning all of us.

I blinked at him in surprise. "Me?" I asked, pointing a disbelieving finger at myself.

Percy smiled and nodded. "Yes, you. You're smart Annabeth. Fabiola's got a way with words and can be clever when he wants to. You'll probably be one step ahead of him before he even plots out what he's doing," he said with a sly grin. I smiled at him, not sure what I should feel right now. At this point, I couldn't even decipher my own emotions.

"The blowing up of the hotel and the robbing of the jewelry store and bank will drive the news's attention away from our Olympus Enterprises situation, and Fabiola's death will extract it as well. While we're out doing that, I want Thalia and Nico to go down to our training facility to train the new recruits," he looked them in the eye. "Don't be afraid to discipline them if they step out of line." Thalia and Nico simply smirked and nodded reassuringly. "Bianca, you'll be monitoring all of this here, make sure he doesn't travel or try anything before we get there, got it?" Bianca nodded solemnly in reply. It was interesting to see Percy act so serious about these things and see the rest of them respond so seriously to his requests and demands. He acts like such a completely different person, I'm starting to learn that Perseus Jackson has many different sides to him, some I don't want to know about or meet.

Percy grinned and stood up and shot us all a wink. "All right then. Let's go piss of the city of Los Angeles."

* * *

 **Are y'all ready for that? Cuz I am XD**

 **How was it? I'm so happy to have reached 74 reviews. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME :DDD**

 **This chapter is kinda slow going, but the next one will literally consist of only action and killing XD so be prepared. The next chapter will be uploaded sometime this week, so yeah ((:**

 **Please leave a review, and ill see you guys next time!**

 **Lmao, I'm literally writing this at 3 in the morning XD**

 **~Kat ((:**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! How are you all feeling today? I'm feeling great, thanks to you guys. I know I said this last time, but I'll say it again, YOU GUYS ARE ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS AND AWESOME AND AMAZING! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! you guys are the ones that make me grin like an idiot and make my sister think I'm high :DD**

 **And guess what? I have a new idea for another fanfic! I'll put the summary at the end of this chapter ((:**

 **Guest: Oh gods, your comment made me laugh so hard for some reason XD yes, Annabeth will tell Percy what happened to her soon, and he will most definitely kick his ass ((:**

 **Emma: Thank you! 333 (supposed to be a heart :/)**

 **Disclaimer: No, I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

7:25 PM rolled by rather quickly. I found myself waiting in the living room for Hazel to arrive. She had a talent to steal jewelry items and gems and all that crap. She was perfect for this heist.

Jason was also sitting with me in the living room, a pensive look on his face as his knee bounced up and down impatiently. The others were around the house, doing whatever. I gave Jason a curious look. "Dude, what's up?"

He quickly snapped out of his daze and sighed. He looked at me, his eyes shining with an expression I couldn't recognize. "Are you- are you sure you want to take Annabeth with us tomorrow? You know things like that can get pretty intense," he said hesitantly.

I kept my face impassive as I stared at the sleek brown coffee table in front of us, my eyes darting to every little mark on it. "Yes," I said at last. "I'm sure."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jason lean forward, an incredulous look on his face. "Why?"

I sighed and kept my eyes fixed on the table. "Because, Annabeth's a strong girl. Anyone can see that. I'm sure that whatever happens tomorrow, she can handle it. Besides," My eyes flickered to meet his, which were gleaming with slight worry and determination. "You know how much of a clever little shit Fabiola is. He makes people believe things that are not true. I am positive Annabeth can tell when he'll be lying. She's smart enough not to be gullible enough to believe what the bastard says. Jason, trust me on this." I said, keeping my eyes firmly locked with his. His eyes searched my face, studying to see if I was faking that confidence I was giving him. When he knew I wasn't, he smiled, his icy eyes twinkling.

"All right," he said with a grin. "I trust you."

I smirked at him. "Good. It'd be a crime if you didn't."

Jason rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply when the doorbell rang. We locked eyes and I smirked and nodded. We both got up and went to answer the door. When I opened it, my eyes met a pair of gold ones.

There stood Hazel Levesque. She had nice dark skin, cinnamon colored curly hair, eyes that looked like they were gold, and a friendly smile. She was twenty years old, but was short for hr age, making her look more like a fifteen year old. She looked at both of us and grinned happily. "Hi guys."

Jason and I smiled at her. "Hey, Hazel," we greeted at the same time. She wasted no time in pulling us both into a hug. Her curly hair smelled just like the color of it, and it tickled the bottom of my chin. She pulled back, grinning joyfully.

"Someone's happy," Jason said, smiling at her.

She shrugged and her grin widened, if that was even possible. "It's been so long since I've seen you guys! Besides, my hands have been itching to steal a necklace."

Jason and I chuckled. I gestured inside. "Come on in, Hazel."

She smiled and went inside, a purple colored backpack slung over her shoulder. She wore simple black jeans, black Converse, and a loose fitting olive colored T-shirt. "Hello?" She called, twirling in a circle near the staircase. We heard rapid footsteps coming down the hall, and Reyna and Piper appeared.

Their faces lit up when they saw her. "Hazel!" They greeted at the same time. They broke into a sprint and encased Hazel in a hug.

She laughed and wrapped her arms around them. "Hey, girls," she said, her voice muffled.

Reyna and Piper pulled back, smiling happily at her. "How are you?" Piper asked.

Hazel smiled. "I'm great. I'm so happy to see you guys again." She raised an eyebrow at Jason and I. "I also heard Frank is coming too?"

I smiled at her. "Yeah. He'll be here later on though. He went to get the...special things we need to find those drugs," I replied.

Hazel smiled knowingly at the mention of her boyfriend. "Is someone else coming?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, Beckendorf is. He'll be coming along with Frank, since he went to get some supplies as well. They'll both arrive at the same time around 10." Hazel smiled.

We heard footsteps descending the stairs and turned to see Annabeth, Thalia, Bianca and Nico. Hazel's face lit up once more. "Hey guys!"

Nico and Bianca both grinned at her and walked down the stairs quickly. They both pulled her into a tight embrace. Hazel had grown up with them both, and she was practically a sibling to Bianca and Nico. Thalia and Annabeth soon followed, and when Nico and Bianca pulled back, she was wrapped into another hug by Thalia. "Hey girlie," she said into her hair.

Hazel chuckled. "Hey, Thalia."

Annabeth watched with a smile on her face, though she looked uncomfortable. When Thalia pulled back, Hazel's eyes landed on Annabeth. Her face twisted into a look of confusion, disbelief, and amazement. "Annabeth Chase?" She asked incredulously. She gave me an inquisitive look. "What's she doing here?"

Annabeth simply smiled. "It's a, ah, long story. But just know that I'm part of The Olympians now."

Hazel gave her a bemused look. "Wow, how'd that happen?"

Annabeth's smile wavered, but she quickly composed herself and grinned. "Let's just say that I was harassed and then somehow ended wrapped up with these guys."

Hazel smiled. "Well, I'm Hazel. Nice to meet you, Annabeth," she said, extending her hand.

Annabeth took it and shook it, a friendly smile on her face. "Likewise."

Hazel turned to me and mouthed, _I like her._ I rolled my eyes and smiled. Hazel looked around and frowned. "Where's Leo?"

As if on cue, Leo came running into the room, a crazy smile on his face. He spread his arms wide. "Hey, Witch Girl!"

Hazel laughed and hugged him. "Hey, Repair Boy."

Leo pulled back and made her a face. "Do you have to call me that?" He whined.

Hazel grinned dryly and ruffled his hair. "You know I do."

I made to check the time on my phone, the movement causing them to stand still and keep their eyes fixed on me. 7:45. I clicked it off and looked at the others, who were staring at me silently, waiting for me to give a command. I smirked. "Time to go."

* * *

Thalia, Annabeth, Nico, Hazel and I soon filed into a sleek black Mercedes. Thalia, Nico, and Hazel sat in the back while I drove and Annabeth sat in the passengers seat. She was awfully quiet. She worried her lip so much, I was sure she could already taste blood. She was dressed in black leggings, a black loose sweatshirt, and black ankle high boots. The rest of us were dressed in black as well, as to not attract so much attention. Thalia and Nico didn't even need to change, since they were literally always clad in black.

Annabeth stared at the road, her face blank and impassive, her eyes shining with an emotion I could not decipher. Her long fingernails picked at her leggings, pulling the material back, and letting it go, letting the fabric slap against her skin, creating a sort of popping sound that filled the silent car.

Well, the silence didn't last long. "Thalia! Quit clanking your fucking bracelets together. It's so annoying," Nico complained. I rolled my eyes. _Here we go._

Thalia clanked her bracelets together even louder. "What?" She asked innocently. "Does this annoy you, Death Breath?"

"Don't call me that," I heard Nico growl. I could practically hear Thalia smirking.

"I'm sorry, _Death Breath."_

I heard a sort of slapping noise, followed by an animalistic growl that would make any person want to run immediately. I heard Nico yelp, followed by another slap. I looked at Annabeth, who seemed to be trying to suppress a laugh. More growling, swearing, and slapping and hysterical laughter from Hazel followed for about five more minutes before I got annoyed.

I turned back to face the two sharply, who immediately froze mid slap once I glared at them. "You guys, knock it off. You're giving me a headache, and you both will be too bruised up to even move a fucking finger, so _cut it out,"_ I growled, scowling at them.

Thalia huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

I raised an eyebrow at Nico, who simply glared at me and nodded. Hazel grinned maniacally. "I missed this."

I sighed. "Trust me, Hazel, once you hear this for twenty four hours, you'll definitely start to wish you were blind and deaf."

Thalia and Nico both grumbled in protest, but otherwise remained quiet. After raising one last eyebrow at them, I turned back to the wheel, satisfied. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth staring at me curiously. I smiled at her. "What?"

She snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "Nothing."

She looked worried, scared even. I couldn't blame her. Even with something as simple as robbing an item, she seemed scared out of her mind. Her face was pale and her breathing seemed to be irregular. Her eyes darted everywhere, landing on every little detail of the car. She bit her lip so hard, it turned white. "Hey," I said gently, resting my hand on her arm. She stiffened, but relaxed slightly. She looked at me, her eyes a clear gray. I smiled at her reassuringly. "It's gonna be fine. If anything happens, I'll make sure to take care of it."

Annabeth stared at me for a minute, studying my face and searching through my eyes, as if trying to dig some secret out of them. _You do have a secret,_ a voice inside me whispered. _Many secrets in fact._

 _Shut up,_ I growled at the voice. But then something dawned on me. What if she does ever ask me about why I seem to scowl often? Or why I might be harsh on people sometimes? What if she asks me about my family? _About my Mom?_ I shook that thought away. If I thought about her, what happened to her and how it was all my fault, I'd get angry and might say something stupid to Annabeth. Another thought hit me. _What if she asks about any of your past relationships?_ I winced. No. The last one I had was too hard on me. She broke my heart. She made me feel empty inside. She made me shut out everyone I knew for two months. I'd gotten angrier. I'd killed more people that usual. I can't think about her right now.

Finally, Annabeth smiled at me, shaking me out of my thoughts. I suddenly wished my mind would have an off button, where I could shut off any dark thoughts and not cause me to say or do anything stupid and get angry. I looked at Annabeth and noticed how beautiful her smile was. Her face seemed to glow when she did, and her pearly white teeth made the whole car light up.

 _That's what you thought about_ her _smile._ My mind whispered.

I scowled. _I thought I told you to shut up._

I guess it might've looked like I scowled at Annabeth, because she frowned, her smile melting off her face. "What's wrong?" She asked me.

I immediately cursed myself for scowling, and replaced it with a grin and a shake of my head. "Nothing, sorry. Some thought just crossed my mind," I replied smoothly.

Annabeth's face tightened slightly, and she gave me a strained smile. "Oh, okay," she said, turning back to face the road.

I had to restrain myself from banging my head on the steering wheel. _Fucking idiot,_ I scolded myself. _Now she thinks she did something wrong._

Wait. Why should I care? I shouldn't care that I made Annabeth mad or sad. I don't care how I make any girl feel, except for my girl cousins and friends. Annabeth's just any other girl I've met. I might simply hook up with them, and then leave right after, not having a second thought about them. Annabeth is any other girl. Why should I care how I make her feel?

 _Because she's not any other girl. Annabeth's different._ A voice inside my head whispered. I glared at the road. Why couldn't my thoughts just leave me alone? I never overthink things too much, so why is Annabeth causing me to?

 _Because you might li-_

 _No,_ I thought firmly, not letting my thought finish that sentence. I do not, and I never will. Annabeth's just another girl. I've never liked any of the girls I've hooked up with on those rare occasions I did.

 _But you_ haven't _even_ _hooked up with Annabeth. Besides, you swore to not_ love _a girl. You never swore off_ liking _any. There's a difference._

I thought this over. True enough, but I can't like Annabeth. I _don't._ She'll probably break my heart like _she_ did. I can't let myself get too carried away with Annabeth. I've been doing that a lot lately, and that's just making me more frustrated than ever.

I turned my attention back to the road. We were already nearing the jewelry store. Finally, it came into my line of vision. A sign that read, _Jewels and Diamonds_ was displayed grandly above the entrance. A diamond was placed in either side of the word. The building was big. Many people came here. This jewelry store was famous all over the city, and mostly rich people came to buy things here. They had just about every jewel you can think of plastered on a ring, necklace, bracelet, and earring.

I parked the car in front of a store two buildings away from it. I checked the time on my phone. 8:00. I grinned. I turned to face the others who were silently waiting. Hazel's eyes shone with excitement, causing a yellow glow to emmit from them. "Is it time?"

I smirked at her. "Yes it is."

* * *

We all quickly filed out of the car, making sure our movements were quiet. I walked in front of the others, making sure to walk normally, so if anyone saw us, they'd think we're just having a normal walk around the city. We reached the store, and I looked at Hazel. I nodded at her and she grinned. She moved in front of me and led us to the back of the store, her head constantly moving side to side, searching for any people that might see us.

When no one was there, she crept up to the back door. Immediately, I went forward and turned the knob, which of course was locked. Grinning, I turned it to the left till it couldn't turn any more, and swiftly turned it to the right, using all my strength to break the knob. I heard someone breath sharply next to me, and I turned to see Annabeth staring at the now broken doorknob in my hand, her eyebrows raised. I resisted the urge to smirk, and instead quietly opened the door. Thankfully, it didn't make any creaking noises when it did.

As I was about to step in, I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder. I turned to see Annabeth staring at me, her eyes shining with slight fear, but glinting questioningly. "Aren't you guys gonna wear any masks in case someone sees you?" She whispered, her eyes darting to the now open door.

I smirked at her. "Masks are for pussies. Come on." With that, I silently strode inside.

* * *

When we reached the front of the store, we were attacked by four security guards. One came at me out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground. He was big and looked like he was definitely on steroids. I heard Annabeth gasp. " _Percy_ ," she hissed in alarm.

My eyes widened at the use of my name. She shouldn't be calling me that now. I mentally groaned. _I'll have to teach her to call us by our code names._ The security guard that I was wrestling with suddenly sat up, pushing me to the floor. His eyes were wide, his face incredulous. " _Percy Jackson?"_ He said in disbelief. He studied my face. His eyes widened even more, now the size of an owl's. "It is you-" I quickly managed to whip out my gun from my back pocket and shot him in between the eyes. He slumped forward, and I quickly shoved him off of me and let him lay motionless on the ground.

Once I stood up, three more guards came at us. One attacked Thalia, who growled in protest and kneed the guy in the stomach. Another burly man tackled Hazel to the floor, who managed to punch the guy in the face. Nico came in and kicked him in the stomach about ten times before hurling him up and slamming him to the floor once more. He whipped out his gun and shot the man in the forehead.

I heard a gasp and turned to see a guard holding down Annabeth by the arms. She struggled and kicked and looked at me with wide eyes. I felt a surge of anger course through me and I strode forward, ready to kill the guy in the most painful way possible, when Annabeth surprised me. Using the heel of her boot, she rammed it into the guys foot. He yelped and released her, stumbling backwards.

Annabeth quickly grabbed the guy's hand and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed on the floor with a thud, groaning and cursing. I saw a flash of bronze and then the guy began oozing blood out of his chest.

Annabeth stood there, her chest heaving. She held a bronze dagger in her hand, covered in blood. I stared at her with wide eyes. Her eyes were fixed on the man, her gray orbs filled with pain. She met my gaze and stared at me, her eyes angry and pained at the same time. "Annabeth-" I started hesitantly, but was cut off by another groan. I looked over my shoulder to see Thalia grab the guard that attacked her by the sides of his head and quickly turn it sideways. A sickening crack was heard and the guy instantly crumbled. Thalia grinned maniacally at him. "Serves you right bitch," she muttered, flipping him over with her boot.

Once she felt our eyes on her, she looked up. "What..?" She asked, her voice fading when her piercing blue eyes landed on Annabeth's bloody dagger. Her eyes darted to the man laying lifelessly on the floor, and then back to her dagger, and then to Annabeth. A smile crept on to her face. "Damn, Annabeth. Way to go," she said.

Annabeth didn't reply, she simply stared at the man in the floor. After about two minutes of silence, she looked up at me, her eyes emotionless. "Let's go," she said, her voice wavering the slightest, I almost didn't hear it. But I did. I plastered a smile in my face and nodded at Hazel, who was staring at Annabeth with a pleased smile on her face. Her eyes met mine and she nodded.

She crept along the store slowly. There were obviously alarms in this place. Hazel had a knack for finding out where they were set up, and how to turn them off. Once she reached the first display case, her foot hung mid-air. Her gold eyes darted around, though I couldn't tell what she was looking for since we were surrounded in darkness right now. She took a careful step back and then walked slowly behind the counter. She crouched down and searched through the counter. Finally, she grinned slyly and pressed her fingers against something on the side of the counter top. A soft beep echoed through the store and Hazel stood up, a satisfied smile on her face. "All alarms and cameras are now shut off."

I nodded. "Alright, great," I turned towards the others. I smirked dryly. "Start stealing."

* * *

After about an hour there at the store, we left, right after destroying any cameras in the store. We were each carrying medium sized sacks, filled with dozens of jewels, necklaces, bracelets, earrings- you name it. Hazel had done an awesome job at getting into the display cases silently, having to use only one tool to open them up. She had definitely grabbed the most out of all of us, and she had moved swiftly throughout the store, grabbing any jewelry in less than three seconds.

Annabeth had been awfully quiet through it all. She avoided eye contact with me and kept her mouth shut. She also managed to grab quite a lot, but she looked extremely uncomfortable. Once I began driving us home, she stared out the window, her eyes never leaving the city lights.

In the back, Hazel, Thalia and Nico joked around, making rude comments about the security guards and how stupid they were. I was tempted to laugh at some of the things they were coming up with, but my mind was focused on Annabeth. She was scared. Anyone could see that. I felt really guilty. I was the cause of all her misery. I was the one who forced her into this mess.

 _Stop. You don't care how you make her feel, remember?_ I scowled. Right. My grip on the wheel tightened, my knuckles turning white. What does she have to make me feel so frustrated? Why can't I just push any thoughts of her to the back of my mind. But that's just it. Every inch of my head was filled with thoughts about her. There's no point in pushing any thoughts of her to the back of my head, because there'd be no room. My head is flooded with Annabeth.

I felt someone rest their fingers on my arm lightly, shaking me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Annabeth, her perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?" She asked.

I stared into get eyes, which were flooding with so many emotions, it'd take all night to decipher all of them. They were constantly changing different shades of gray, sometimes turning so dark, they almost looked black. "Yeah... Yeah I'm fine."

Her eyes darted to the steering wheel, which I still had a death grip on. She raised an eyebrow at me. "The way your holding the wheel says otherwise. If you grip it any harder, I'm afraid you're going to have to buy a new one," she gave me a teasing smile. "Besides, your face might get frozen with a permanent scowl if you don't let your features relax."

 _I already have a permanent scowl,_ I thought bitterly. I reluctantly let my face relax and my grip on the wheel calm down as well.

I gave Annabeth a soft smile, which she returned with one of her own. My smile faded when I noticed how sad her eyes looked. "How... how do you feel?" I asked hesitantly.

Annabeth's smile turned sad. She gazed wistfully at the building's lights. She stared at them for a minute, her eyes reflecting the lights, making them look almost blue. Finally, she sighed and turned back to face me. "I feel... I feel... strange," she chuckled humorlessly. "To be honest... I don't know how I feel right now. Everything is changing for me. I've just killed two men. That isn't exactly something I'd feel proud of."

My eyes darted to the road, and then back to Annabeth. She was staring at her hands in her lap, silently tapping her nails together. I carefully placed a hand on top of hers, stopping her from her tapping. Her eyes flickered up to meet mine. I gave her a smile."You'll... you'll be okay. I'm here for you."

Annabeth stared at me for a second, as if checking to see if I was lying about what I just said. But I knew I wasn't. I was here for Annabeth. Like I've been for the rest of them.

Finally, she smiled warmly at me, the action causing an uncomfortable feeling to churn in my stomach. She hesitantly placed a hand on my arm. "Thank you, Percy."

I smiled back at her and nodded. "Anytime Annabeth."

* * *

We soon arrived at the house, where Frank and Beckendorf were already waiting. Jason and the others had arrived about five minutes earlier than us. They were all seated in the living room, joking and laughing with each other. When I stepped in, they all immediately went quiet.

I grinned at Frank and Beckendorf. I spread my arms. "Hey, guys."

They both stood up, giving me grins. Frank walked towards me first, encasing me in a hug. He was bigger than me, that's for sure. He was big and buff, but had warm brown eyes that let you know he was a softie. He had black hair cut into a buzz cut, military style. His face was round like a baby's, making him seem a little strange with his whole muscular frame. He clapped me on the back, the movement causing my bones to vibrate. "How've you been, Perce?"

I pulled back and smiled at him. "Great, man. You?"

His brown eyes twinkled. "I've been awesome-" his eyes landed on Hazel, who was silently standing behind me. His whole face lit up like a child finding out he'd get everything he wanted for Christmas. He quickly walked past me and encased Hazel in a hug, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. "God, I missed you," he said, grinning down at her.

Hazel laughed. "You literally saw me yesterday."

Frank shrugged and hugged her so tight, I thought he might crush her, but Hazel didn't seem to mind. The way they hugged each other made my heart swelled painfully, knowing I use to hug and kiss _her_ like that. But it'd all been a lie. A stupidly painful lie.

I turned back to see Beckendorf walking up to me. Now, this guy was huge. He had nice dark skin, bulging biceps and forearms, but not so he looked like he was on steroids. He had black hair and black eyes that twinkled wrapped me in a hug and squeezed so hard, I thought I might pass out. He grinned and pulled back, and I had to try hard not to start gasping for air. "How's it going, Perce?" He asked, his voice deep and powerful.

I clapped him on the back, but the movement didn't even cause him to move a centimeter. "Going great, man. How's Silena?" I asked.

Beckendorf's expression immediately softened and his eyes twinkled. "She's been doing great. Really making a lot of progress with her salon."

Silena was Beckendorf's long time girlfriend. She was also part of The Olympians, and I usually went to her if I wanted to disguise myself or someone else really good. When she was done with us, we looked like a completely different person. "That's awesome," I replied, grinning.

Beckendorf smiled. "It is. She's so happy about it." His real name was Charles Beckendorf, but he preferred us calling him by his surname. I smiled. "That's good." I remembered a certain blonde standing a few feet behind me. I stepped aside to let him and Frank get a good view of her. "Guys," I started, gesturing towards Annabeth, who stepped forward. "This is Annabeth Chase. I'm sure you've heard of her."

They both raised their eyebrows at her, but smiled nonetheless. Beckendorf held out his hand. "Name's Beckendorf. Nice to meet you."

Annabeth smiled warmly and shook his hand firmly. "Pleasures all mine."

Frank gawked at her. "What's _Annabeth Chase_ doing here?" He smiled sheepishly at her. "No offense."

Annabeth grinned at him. "None taken. And just know that some series of events happened that caused me to end up joining The Olympians," she paused and smiled. "Just like my Mother."

Frank grinned at her and held out his hand for her to shake. "Ah, that's right. You're Athena's child. Please to meet you."

Annabeth shook his hand firmly. "Likewise."

I smiled and strode towards Jason, who was seated on the couch, the movement causing everyone to freeze and stare at me silently. I smirked and raised an eyebrow. "How'd it go?"

He grinned. "It went awesome, man. Look at all this shitload of cash!" Sure enough, six sacks were stuffed with wads of money.

I smiled, pleased. "Great. And you made sure to disable and destroy any cameras?" Jason nodded in reply. I bobbed my head in return. "Any security?"

"Ah, yes. Five of them. We killed them all," Jason answered casually.

I smiled. "Good," I turned to face the others. I took out my phone and read the time. 9:35. I smirked. "Guess it's time to blow up that bastard's hotel."

* * *

We arrived ten minutes later.

We had took two cars. Jason took one, I took another one. Frank had drove his van, where he had his... special things in. Hazel had stayed at the house, and decided to just go to sleep.

Here we were, staring up at the tall building that had the words, The Candrid Hotel, displayed front and center, big enough for anyone within fifty miles to be able to see. It had about forty floors, and was standing tall and proud. I smirked to myself. _Not_ _for long._

Some lights were turned on while some others were turned off, making the building look like some Christmas lights had stopped working.

I stepped out of the car, and the others followed. I saw Frank go to the back of his car and open up the door. I heard some soft whimpers and barks, to which Frank just hushed them. I grinned and went to look at the companions that would be helping us find those drugs. Once I reached the back of the van, I was tackled to the floor by two large animals.

I chuckled as they tickled my face with licks and braked affectionately at me. "Hey, you two," I greeted, pulling slightly at one of their ears. They barked and nipped at me. I managed to roll out from under them and stood up, brushing off my leather jacket. I stared down at them, who were staring into my eyes and their tails wagging happily, sitting up on their hind legs, their front paws hanging in front of them. I grinned slyly and crouched down. They copied me, immediately sitting on their bottoms, their tails continuing to swish back and forth.

I smiled and reached out to scratch them behind their ears. In response, their tongues lolled out of their mouths, their eyes closing in bliss. "Good dogs," I said softly. They barked softly in response.

They were beautiful dogs. The older, bigger one, was Mrs. O'Leary. She was a beautiful black husky, with piercing blue eyes like Thalia's and Jason's that stood out from her black coat. She had the sharp features of a wolf's. Her tail was bushy and her frame was large. Her ears were pointing straight up, always on alert. Her snout was long and sharp, with razor sharp teeth lining the inside of her mouth. She was strong and healthy looking, her coat glossy, long and soft.

The slightly younger one was Blackjack. He was a little smaller than Mrs. O'Leary, and was a pure black German Shepherd. He was as equally beautiful as Mrs. O'Leary. His eyes were a piercing emerald green, alert and twinkling happily. His ears were pointing straight up, constantly switching direction at any noise he heard. His fur was cut shorter than Mrs. O'Leary's, but it was as soft and glossy as hers. His tail was long and trimmed neatly, so as to not be so bushy.

They both seemed to smile at me, their tails constantly wagging. "They missed you," I heard Frank chuckle behind me.

I smiled at them and stroked their fur, slipping my fingers through their coats. "I missed them too," I said softly. Blackjack barked affectionately and licked my face, making me scrunch up my nose, but chuckle gently.

I heard more barking behind me and turned my head to see Frank unloading two more dogs from the van. The first one was a husky, except he had a creamy peanut bitter colored coat and sky blue eyes. Scipio, I recognized him as. The second one was a German Shepherd, with a beautiful light brown coat and a creamy white long patch running under his stomach. He had sparkling, intelligent brown eyes that seemed to focus on every little moving thing. Arion.

I heard footsteps coming closer and expected to see Reyna, who was very fond of these dogs, but instead saw Annabeth. My eyes widened as she crouched down next to me. She studied the dogs carefully, her eyes shining with interest and admiration. She smiled and hesitantly reached out to pet Blackjack. "Annabeth," Frank and I warned in unison, but Annabeth's hand had already reached him. I expected Blackjack to bite her hand off, but what happened surprised me.

Annabeth gently moved her hand closer to his snout. He sniffed her carefully, his eyes locking with hers. Finally, he ducked his head and made her hand move to his head in the process. Annabeth laughed softly. Frank and I stared at her with wide eyes. All of the dogs were extremely protective and weary of strangers, and bit them if they got too close. But with Annabeth... they didn't.

"Beautiful," Annabeth murmured, stroking Blackjack's head soothingly. She brought her other hand up for Mrs. O'Leary to sniff, and when she did, Mrs. O'Leary licked it and allowed Annabeth access to scratch the top of her head. I looked at Annabeth incredulously. "How'd you... why didn't they... they always... what?" I stuttered stupidly.

Annabeth chuckled and continued stroking them. "What?"

I lifted a hand helplessly, then letting it drop onto my lap. "They always attack strangers if they get too close. But with you, they didn't."

Annabeth shrugged, smiling at the dogs fondly. "I've always loved dogs. Such beautiful animals. Intelligent as well." She gave me a questioning glance, then laughed at my disbelieving expression. "I don't know why they didn't attack me. I guess I've always has a way with these animals."

I smiled at her. "Did you have some as pets when you were younger?"

Annabeth's eyes hardened. "Yes, I did."

My eyebrows rose at her sudden change in demeanor but shrugged it off. I reached down to scratch the Mrs. O'Leary under her stomach, an area close to her chest but not quite there. In response, she immediately rolled over, her tail wagging contentedly. Annabeth and I chuckled in response. "What are their names?" She asked, her eyes never leaving them.

I pointed to Blackjack. "That's Blackjack. He's currently five years old." Annabeth smiled and stroked him under his chin, causing his tongue to loll out the side of his mouth. I pointed to Mrs. O'Leary. "That's Mrs. O'Leary. She's my old little girlie. She's eight years old."

Annabeth grinned softly at her and scratched the underside of her belly, making Mrs. O'Leary's right hind leg to move back and forth slightly. Suddenly, two other furry animals came along. One ducked his head under Annabeth's arm, while the other popped his head in between us. We both laughed. I turned to look over my shoulder, where Frank had gone to converse with Jason and Reyna. I turned my attention back to the dogs."This is Arion and Scipio. Arion's four years old, and Scipio is six." I explained, scratching Arion behind the ear. He barked softly, wedging himself further in between Annabeth and I. She laughed, her eyes shining brightly. My heart warmed at the sight, and I immediately swore at myself. Stop Percy. Your heart is being stupid.

"So how'd you get them?" Annabeth asked.

I smiled wistfully at the memory. "Well, I found Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack when they were young. Blackjack had been two years old, and Mrs. O'Leary was six. They were just abandoned there in an alley. Seems to me they found each other and became best friends. They were weak and sick, and so unhealthy, I thought they might not make it. But I took them in, and I helped nurse them to health. Now they're the healthiest dogs in earth. I've trained them to hunt down drugs and to attack strangers and the people who try to hurt us. They're amazing," I explained, smiling fondly at the two dogs.

Annabeth smiled softly at me her gray eyes turning to a cloudy kind of gray. "That was nice of you."

I smiles at her. "Well, I couldn't just leave them there. They were so fragile and helpless, I had to help them. They're strong, beautiful dogs," I praised. Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack both barked happily and nuzzled their heads to my chest. I chuckled and stroked their backsides.

Annabeth smiled gently at me. "What about Arion and Scipio?"

I shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. Hazel brought us Arion, and Reyna managed to get a hold on Scipio. How? I don't know. They never explained how they got their hands on them. But they're beautiful, healthy dogs as well." They both whimpered softly in response, their eyes half-closed in bliss as Annabeth stroked their heads.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Jason, an excited and mischevious glint in his sharp blue eyes. "It's time man."

I checked the time on my phone and sure enough, it was 10:05. I stood up and brushed myself off. I snapped my fingers and all the dogs immediately sat, their ears and eyes alert and focused on me. I grinned. "Good dogs," I said. I helped Annabeth stand up, and I felt a tingle shoot up my arm when her hand touched mine. _Fucking stop it,_ I scolded myself. I cleared my throat and the dogs ears all flickered in response. I grinned slyly at them. "All right gentlemen," I started. Mrs. O'Leary barked in protest. I shot her a smile. "And _lady._ Time to find some drugs, and then blow up this shit hole."

* * *

 **I absolutely loved writing the dog's part. They're so cute :3 I also added some Percabeth in there for ya guys. Don't worry, you guys will get so much Percabeth in maybe the next chapter or the one after that, that you'll explode from all the feels :D next chapter will be exciting.**

 **Oh that's right! My summary for my new fanfic idea! Almost forgot ;-;**

 **It will be called, The Perfect Fit:**

 **Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson are both singers slowly rising to fame. Annabeth doesn't have time for men. Percy gets any girl he wants. When the two meet, it's hate at first sight. However, a competition to make both their dreams come true may change that. In the end, will they be the perfect fit for each other? Or is their relationship destined to end in flames?**

 **How does it sound? Leave your thoughts in the reviews ((: if you guys like the idea, I'll start writing the first five chapters, but I won't upload them until at least three chapters before the ending of Sworn off Love. Don't worry, SoL will still continue ((:**

 **Remember to please leave a review! You guys make my day ((: and excuse any mistakes in this, my bad 0-0**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Glad to read all of your reviews, you guys are truly amazing ((: And, I still need at least four more opinions on the new fanfic I wanna write, which will be called,** **The Perfect Fit** **.**

 **Heres the summary for it: PLEASE READ**

 **Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson are two singers slowly rising to fame. Annabeth doesn't have time for men. Percy gets any girl he wants. When the two meet, it's hate at first sight. However, a competition to make their dreams come true may change that. In the end, will they be the perfect fit for each other? Or is their relationship destined to end up in flames?**

 **How does it sound? Simply put your opinion in a review ((:**

 **Shilcow: Nah, if it was a cheesy story, I would've been super bored writing it.**

 **Anon: That's great! Glad you are enjoying it!**

 **Bookfangirl446: Don't worry, if I do write the story, I'll make sure to let you know ((:**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

We all rounded up at the side of the building, discussing how the whole thing would go down. "Alright guys," I said. "Beckendorf will come with Piper, Reyna, Frank, Annabeth and me. Jason, you take Thalia, Bianca, Nico and Leo. Leo knows how to operate the contraption that Beckendorf made as good as he does. You guys will set it up at the far end of the hotel. In the meantime, my team will go in to look for the drugs. Beckendorf will stay with the others in the front lobby, waiting until we come back. Once we find them, we'll grab them, and when we get back, I'll give you the signal to set off the bombs. Got it?"

Jason nodded solemnly and smirked at me, and I returned the sly smile. I turned to face them all. "Ready guys?"

They all grinned and nodded. "Of course we are."

I smiled. "Let's do this."

* * *

As we started walking towards the front of the building, Annabeth caught my shoulder. "What about the dogs? You can't take them in."

I grinned slyly at her. "Don't worry, Frank found a door out the back, and we'll meet him there." I answered. Annabeth simply nodded, gazing at the hotel, her gray eyes turning different shades of colors from the building's lights. I stared at her for a second, knowing that I would never get use to seeing such a beautiful woman.

 _Percy, stop it. Stay focused. You're here to blow up your enemies' most successful hotel. Stop ogling Annabeth and focus on your mission,_ a voice inside my head chided.

Right. I need to pay attention. I focused my attention on the front lobby as we entered. The place was huge, that's for sure. It was fancy and neatly decorated, everything modern styled. A huge chandelier hung in the center of the lobby, it's crystals swaying peacefully and casting a light glow around the entrance. I smiled. Too bad it'll be in ruins in half an hour. I handed Annabeth some blue colored eye contacts, who quickly slipped them on without any questions, and I put on some brown ones myself.

After doing that, I turned to face Reyna and Beckendorf. "We'll be right back. You guys just wait here. We'll be back in twenty five to thirty minutes. If we're not back by then, call Jason."

They both nodded understandingly and I turned to face Piper. I smiled at her. "Alright, Charmer, do your thing."

Piper grinned at me, her pearly white teeth on display. "Gladly." She quickly slipped on some sunglasses, despite it already being dark outside and strode up to the front desk confidently, Annabeth and I following after her.

Annabeth leaned over to me, her shoulder brushing mine. She was at least five inches shorter than me, so her height was up to my eye-level. "We don't have a reservation. How are we going to get in?" She whispered, her eyes trained on Piper's back.

I smirked wryly at her. I nodded my head towards Piper's moving figure. "Just watch."

Annabeth frowned at my vague response, but watched silently as Piper approached the man at the front desk, her sharp gray eyes glinting with interest.

The man was in his late twenties. He had neatly combed black hair, a lean figure, and stern brown eyes. He was currently writing something down on a sheet of paper and didn't glance up when Piper was standing right in front of him. She cleared her throat.

"Name?" He drawled out, not even glancing up.

"Charlotte Johansen," Piper replied smoothly. The man sighed and stood up straight to click away on his computer. After about three minutes, his eyes narrowed. He faced Piper, and his eyes not too subtly ran down her figure. I was glad Jason want here, because he would've ripped this guy to shreds without hesitation. He locked eyes on her face. "I didn't see your name on the registration or reservation list."

Piper pouted. "You didn't? Oh, but I'm sure I called in just yesterday to make one! In fact, you were the one who answered. I recognize your voice," Piper answered immediately, faking hurt.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Piper nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. I remember that handsome voice of yours from anywhere."

The man smirked, but it quickly faded. "Well, I'm sorry Ma'am, but I can't let you go in without a reservation."

Piper slipped off her sunglasses, revealing Pacific blue eye contacts. She batted her long eyelashes and pouted. "Oh please mister. I'm sure I made a reservation. Can you check one more time?" Piper slid her elbows across the top of the desk, her face directly in front of his. "Please?" She asked softly.

The man visibly gulped and nodded quickly, fumbling to click on his computer. I heard Annabeth stifle a laugh next to me, and I smirked myself. Piper's codename isn't Charmer for nothing.

After about twenty seconds, the man turned back to face Piper. "Yes, Charlotte Johansen. I found it. Room C57," he handed Piper some keys, his hand lingering a bit too long. Piper quickly pulled her hand back and smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you, sir."

As we were just about to leave, his eyes landed on Annabeth and I. He narrowed his eyes, studying Annabeth and I carefully. "And who may you be?" He asked, his voice catching a bit of irritation.

I shot him a grin. "Peter Johnson. And this is-"

"Ariana Vega," Annabeth replied, shooting the man a winning smile. I resisted the urge to smirk at Annabeth's quick thinking, but quickly replaced it with a grin. He looked at us up and down, and then glanced to Piper. "Miss Johansen, are these people with you as well?"

Piper nodded earnestly. "Oh, yes. They have reservations too, but you don't need to check for those, because they're under my name as well," she replied, her voice sweet, but had enough seriousness under it, that I started to believe that we actually had reservations.

The man seemed to blank out for a second, but then smiled at Piper. "Very well, have a nice rest of your stay."

We all smiled and nodded politely, and then briskly strode off. I took the lead, quickly leading us to the very end of the hallway to the right. We walked in silence, the girls walking silently and quickly. Piper lugged a large maroon colored suit case behind her, filled with many different clothes, which would be where we put the drugs once we find them.

There were tons of hallways leading to different places, but I kept walking straight, not turning down a different hallway once.

Finally, we reached the end of the hallway. I stopped in front of the only door there, one that had a sign that read, Employees Only. I quietly pushed it open, glad to find it unlocked. I stepped in, closing the door softly behind me once Annabeth and Piper were also inside. I locked the door and turned to face the room.

In the far end of the room was Frank, holding the leashes of all the dogs, who were obediently sitting at his feet, their intelligent eyes staring at us silently. I smiled at them, knowing they were well trained to not jump at people they recognized during a mission.

The room was filled with different boxes and carts filled with supplies required for hotel rooms. Toilet paper, bed sheets, soap bars, ect.

I walked over to the dogs, pulling out a weed packet. I crouched in front of them and held it out. They quickly smelled it, only allowing them a short, quick sniff as to not overpower the dogs, and their tails immediately began wagging. I smiled and stood up.

I locked eyes with Frank. "All right Shape-Shifter, let em do their thing."

Frank smirked and snapped his fingers. The dogs quickly stood, their ears standing straight up. Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack immediately took the lead. They headed towards a secluded spot surrounded by carts, their noses sniffing the air desperately. Scipio and Arion followed after them, repeating the same actions. Frank let the dogs lead him wherever they wanted, but the dogs made sure not to jerk too hard on the leash.

Blackjack stopped in front of the two carts, beginning to sniff around that area. After about fifteen seconds, he began pawing at the carts, his ears and nose jutting straight in it's direction. The other dogs began pacing around as well, their eyes and ears focused on that one area.

I instantly strode over, pushing all the carts aside. Once they were out of the way, the dogs walked forward. Scipio and Arion sniffed the floor while Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack sniffed the air, their senses sharply focused.

Finally, Mrs. O'Leary walked up to a large cart blocking a wall. She paced in front of it, her ears flickering and eyes trained on the cart.

I walked over to it and pushed it aside, only with some difficulty since the thing was so large and filled with crap.

Once it was pushed aside, a door was revealed behind it. It was the same color as the wall, a dark creamy gray. I turned the doorknob, smirking to myself when I found it unlocked. Can these people be any less ignorant? I swung the door open, revealing another storage room, an exact replica of the one we were just in.

"Smart," I heard Annabeth mutter, her gray orbs scanning the room thoughtfully.

I snorted. "Yeah, smart enough to leave all the doors unlocked."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I don't think you should be complaining. After all, they're just making it easier for us, no?"

I noticed how she had said us instead of you guys. I smiled at this but quickly shook it off. I'm getting distracted. I cleared my throat. "Yeah, right."

I watched as the dogs led Frank further into the room, their noses sniffing a hundred miles per hour. Finally, they stopped in front of another large cart, except on the opposite side of the room than the one they'd stopped in earlier. Without a word, I strode over to the cart, swiftly pushing it aside. Another door was revealed, the same color as the walls once again.

I opened the door, and inside was a room with millions of boxes inside. Immediately, the dogs walked in, sniffing the air and ground intently.

Finally, Scipio and Blackjack strode to two different wooden crates on the opposite sides of the room. Arion and Mrs. O'Leary did the same, with two other wooden crates on different ends of the room. I grinned at them proudly. "Good dogs, good dogs," I muttered as I walked towards the nearest wooden crates, which Arion was standing in front of.

I crouched in front of it, trying to pry open the edges. Unfortunately, they wouldn't budge. I gritted my teeth, then glanced at Annabeth, who was watching me curiously. A thought suddenly hit me. "You still got that dagger with you?" I asked.

Annabeth blinked, but then nodded. She swiftly pulled it out of her back pocket, handing it over to me. I nodded a thanks to get and then proceeded on prying the edges of the crate open with the tip of the dagger. After about two minutes, it popped open. I grinned at the sight before me. I chuckled, grabbing one of the packets delicately. "Oh, Fabiola. Thought you could keep these hidden from The Olympians? I think not."

I glanced over my shoulder to look at Piper, who was kneeling in front of Scipio and scratching him behind the ear, his tail wagging contentedly. "Charmer, pass me that suitcase, will you?"

She nodded distractedly, pushing the large case over to me without even glancing up. I looked over at Frank, who was kneeling in front of the wooden crate Blackjack was sitting by. He was currently hacking at the edges with the knife, prying it open quickly.

I turned back to my crate and began loading the packets into the suitcase. After about fifteen minutes, all the drugs were safely packed into the suitcase. I covered every last packet with a piece if clothing, successfully hiding all of them.

I nodded at all of them. "Let's go."

* * *

We walked out of the room quickly, Frank exciting through the way he came through and taking the suitcase along as well. I had paid the dogs well, scratching them all behind the ears affectionately, locking eyes with each one of them as I told them what amazing dogs they were.

We arrived at the front of the lobby soon after. Once Reyna and Beckendorf saw us, they got up from their seats and walked out of the hotel silently. Piper, Annabeth and I mean sure the man we had spoken with earlier was not looking as we walked out of the hotel as well, not looking behind us once.

When we were outside, Beckendorf walked over, carrying a medium sized sacks behind him. He nodded at me. "All set."

I grinned. "Great."

* * *

We all managed to go back inside without being noticed. I led them upstairs to a vacant supplies room near the front if the hotel. I chose a room where we would be able to exit the quickest and swiftest way possible, and this room seemed to be it. Beckendorf unloaded his bag, pulling out some kind of disc-looking things and dynamite.

He picked up one if the discs delicately. "All right. For this thing, you can set the time for how long until you want it to go off. The end you press down on depends the force of it. If you press this one-" he pointed towards the side closest to him, where you could see a tiny little button. "The force of the explosion will be enough to blow up with room. If you press down on the second one, it'll be enough to blow up this whole floor. The third would be enough to explode St least three floors. The fourth will be powerful enough to explode the whole building. I also just brought some dynamite as well." He explained, his deep, powerful voice making it hard to not pay attention.

I nodded. "Sounds good. We'll try out one to blow up a room. Then we'll leave the one for the whole building in the middle of the hallway, along with some dynamite as well. But we'll have to be quick guys. We set them up to go off in eight minutes, and then run out of here. That should be enough time to exit the hotel, and get at least two minutes away from the building. Try not to look too suspicious though, but we gotta get out of here as quickly as possible. Got it?"

They all nodded seriously in response. I grinned at them. "Then let's start setting these badasses up."

It took about ten minutes, but we managed to set up all the explosives. We put up two in the hallway on different ends. We also left one in the room and set up four dynamite sticks in the hallway.

Before we had started, I had sent Jason a text. It said a simple hey, but he knew that was the signal to start setting up the explosives.

Around the same time we finished, he sent me another text, whats up? They were all set up.

I grinned at Beckendorf. "They're ready man."

He nodded, a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. He walked into the room and quickly started off those bo!bs while I set up the ones in the hallway. He came out as soon as I finished up lighting up the dynamite. A single sizzling sound was heard through the hall. We all locked eyes with one another. Annabeth's face was pale, and her eyes shone with fear and determination. Interesting combination.

I nodded, and we all ran.

* * *

As we ran, we passed a man going up the stairs, finally reaching the top. Without a word, Reyna quickly tripped him and pulled out her hunting knives as he fell. She slashed twice, and then the man lay motionless on the ground.

We ran and ran, slowing down to a brisk walk as we neared the exit. A few people gave us weird glances on the way down, but shrugged it off.

We finally reached the exit, breaking out into a run as we neared the cars. Jason and his group came not a second later, and we each got into the cars.

I sped off in front of Jason first, letting him follow behind. Not five minutes later, we heard the explosion.

It was extremely loud.

I was sure the sound woke up every single person in L.A.

I actually felt the heat wash over the car for a second, the intensity of it powerful and hot. I glanced through the rear view mirror, watching as the hotel blew up, sending cars toppling on their sides and pieces of stone flying in different directions. They crashed into the sidewalk, and I was sure I saw a few pedestrians get knocked out with the pieces. Some people actually went flying backwards.

I watched as the hotel blew up in flames, encased in white blankets that were roaring loudly over the wail of the people inside.

The Candrid Hotel had been officially reduced to rubble.

I grinned. Now this is what Fabiola gets for messing with The Olympians. But our revenge is barely starting.

I laughed out loud obnoxiously, letting out whoops and hollers through the my rolled down window. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Jason stick his head out as well, returning my whoops and crazy laughs.

I grinned. This is what happens when you mess with The Olympians. Your buildings and most prized possessions get blasted to rubble. People die. You leave a whole city shocked. You lose everything you care about.

Annabeth looked terrified by all of this. She was staring at the road, her eyes pained and watery, her lips trembling and face pale. She seemed to be choking back a sob. She made a strangled noise in her throat as she glanced back at the now flaming hotel.

My grin immediately disappeared. "Annabeth-" I started, not even sure about what I was going to say.

She looked at me, a horrified expression on her face. "This is what you guys call fun? Percy, you just killed hundreds of people in there! How-how..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes watering up all over again. A loose sob broke through, and I felt like I'd been stabbed in the chest just by hearing that pained noise. "I helped kill all those people." Her voice came out in a whisper, a loose tear running down her face.

I couldn't stand seeing her like this. I immediately felt guilty, but it quickly subsided to anger. Why should I feel guilty? Fabiola deserved this. He told the public shit about my Dad's and uncle's company. What else does she want me to do? Besides, there are a lot more people in the world to cover up for just a few hundred that died. Why should I care? I don't even know those people.

I glanced at Annabeth. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, my eyes flickering from the road to her. "Annabeth-"

"Save it," she snapped. Her eyes turned misty again. "Just take me home." She whispered.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Once we were back at HQ, I had headed straight towards my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone. What they did was horrible. But I was no better than them. I helped kill all those innocent people. Im horrible as well.

I didn't bother changing into any comfortable clothes. I just wanted to sleep and forget about everything. But sleep doesn't help with that. Instead, it fills your head with memories about what happened in your day. It makes you relive those moments, making them seem so real that you find it hard to wake up. Sleep doesn't help at all.

But even if I believe those statements, my body was aching to go to sleep. I just wanted to relax for one moment, no matter what dream might hit me. So once my face hit the pillow, I fell asleep.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

The next morning, I woke up early. Today was the day to kill Fabiola, but I wanted to clear my head before that happened, so I hit the pool.

Once I entered the water, I felt relaxation take over me. But that relaxation unfortunately brought back memories of the night before. Once we had come back home, Annabeth had gone straight to her room and didn't even give anyone a second glance. One part of me was angry for her being so overdramatic, but I also couldn't help feeling guilty and sorry for her. This was all new to her. She's never been part of something that involves killing many people. She's scared, and it's all my fault.

Stop it Percy. This isn't your fault. Would she rather be dead, or alive? At least you gave her a damn option. If not, everyone would be asking what happened to the famous Annabeth Chase. Besides, Athena would have your head if you decided to just kill her. You're doing her a favor. Nothing more, nothing less.

But am I? Am I doing her a favor? Her life was perfect before I met her. I should've just left her in the alley until she came to her senses. I shouldn't have brought her to HQ. I should've left her alone.

Just like I should've with her.

But there was just something about her that captivated me. She was beautiful, smart, and those piercing grey eyes seemed to pull me to her. I loved her. But she never loved me back.

I felt an overwhelming sensation as I swam laps around the pool, and I forced those thoughts away. The point of me going to the pool is to push those thoughts away. Not pull them in even further.

I forced my mind to go blank as I swam around. But my thoughts soon wandered to today. We'd have to kill Fabiola today. That would be the easy part. The hard part would be getting Annabeth to cooperate.

* * *

I spent half an hour swimming in the pool when I got out. I quickly dried myself off and went into the kitchen to grab an apple. When I entered, I found Jason already there, smirking down at his phone.

He looked up when the door closed and grinned at me. "Hey, Perce."

I nodded my head and grabbed a shiny red apple. "Hey man." I bit into it, relishing the sound it makes when I bite into it. I savored the juicy liquid as it danced around in my mouth.

Jason grinned wryly at me and flashed his phone screen up so I could see it. "Look at this, it's already all over the news."

I squinted to see it and smirked when I saw the headline. _A bank and jewelry robbery in one night?_

 _The Candrid Hotel goes up in flames unexpectedly. People say this is the work of explosions. But who set them off?_

Then it showed pictures of the hotel, burned to rubble and the place unrecognizable. Below that it displayed two pictures of the jewelry and bank store we had robbed side by side. The place was literally three quarters empty. I smirked dryly when I read one of the sentences below all the pictures. _Could this be the work of the nation's most infamous gang, The Olympians?_

I looked up from the screen to see Jason grinning wildly at me. He held up his hand for a high five. "Dude," he said. "We're awesome."

I slapped my palm against his, grinned and shot him a wink. "You know it."

Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked Thalia, her hair wild and dressed in a t-shirt that said in bold red letters, **Death to Barbie** , and some black sweatpants. "Hey losers," she greeted, stifling a yawn. She noticed the phone in Jason's hand. "Watcha guys looking at?" Not waiting for an answer, she snatched Jason's phone out of his hand and looked at it herself. As her electric eyes scanned the screen, a grin slowly started appearing on her face. She looked up at me and grinned gleefully. "We successfully accomplished getting those fucker's attention away from Olympus Enterprises." She leaned back on the counter nonchalantly. "You guys obviously couldn't have done it without me."

Jason rolled his eyes and I snorted. "Yeah, okay Thalia. Anyway, our fun isn't over yet. We still gotta kill that piece of shit."

Thalia and Jason's grin widened. "That's gonna be fun," Jason said dryly, a mischevious twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What time is it anyway?"

Jason glanced down at his phone. "It's already 7:30, we gotta get ready."

* * *

I sent Thalia to go wake everyone up as I said goodbye to Frank, Hazel, and Beckendorf, who had stayed the night.

I clapped Frank and Beckendorf on the back. I grinned at them. "Nice seeing you guys again. And nice work yesterday. Don't think we could've pulled it off without you guys. Thanks."

Frank grinned. "Anytime Perce."

Beckendorf grunted in agreement. "If you need anything, just call us up."

I nodded and grinned. "Thanks guys," I turned to face Hazel, who was watching our conversation with a smile on her face. I grinned at her and pulled her in for a hug.

She squeezed me tightly, breathing in deeply. I chuckled. "Thanks for your assistance as well, Hazel. You're awesome."

She pulled back and grinned, flipping her curly hair over her shoulder. "I know I am."

I shook my head, chuckling. "I think you've been spending too much time with Thalia. Seems to me her arrogance is rubbing off on you."

Hazel laughed and shrugged. "Oh well, I guess."

I grinned. "Oh and Frank, make sure to reward those dogs very well. They deserve some praise."

Frank nodded, smiling. "Of course." With one last nod and smile, they all walked out the door.

I heard footsteps descending the stairs behind me. I turned to look at who it was, and found myself staring at none other than Annabeth Chase.

She gave me a tentative smile. I simply stared at her, not knowing what to do or say or how to react. My mind was screaming at me to say a simple _hey_ or _good morning_ or even a _how are you feeling?_ But none of those seemed right at the moment.

Annabeth confused me. Just last night she looked as if she wanted to rip my head off, and now here she was, giving me those annoyingly cute and coy smiles.

After about a minute of awkward silence, Annabeth cleared her throat. She nodded towards the front door. "Did they leave already?" She asked, her gray eyes settling on me.

I stared at her for about five seconds, until I realized she had asked me a question. "Uh yeah. Yeah, they uh just left," I stuttered. I had to resist the urge to punch myself in the face for acting like such an idiot. It's just Annabeth. Why am I acting like this?

Annabeth nodded and walked all the way down the stairs, finally stopping a few feet in front of me. She was dressed in blue skinny jeans, a gray off the shoulder blouse, and gray strap-on heels. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, but it still looked as beautiful as ever.

I mentally groaned. Why'd she have to be so good-looking? I can't help but ogling her every time I see her, and it's getting on my nerves.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and gave her a smile. "You ready?" I asked, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

Annabeth puffed up her cheeks and then exhaled slowly, her cheeks deflating in the process. She shrugged, her eyes gleaming with pain, regret, a smidge of anger, but also withheld confidence. She locked eyes with me, and I found myself not being able to look away. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

In half and hour, we were already halfway to Brandon Fabiola's head office building. We were all piled in Percy's BMW. Percy was driving while I sat in the passengers seat, the others sitting in the back, laughing, talking and joking around.

They seemed so nonchalant about all of this, as if they weren't on their way to kill a major business man. Their excited energy seemed to fill the car up, making some of that energy seep into my body. I found myself grinning for no reason, and that freaked me out to no beyond. Just last night I felt my body completely numb after we blew up that building, and now I was grinning? What's _wrong_ with me?

I felt someone's eyes on me and I turned to see Percy giving me a funny look. "Are you ok? Why are you grinning?" He asked, a boyish grin on his face. I forced the friends off my face and cleared my throat. "Uh no reason. The things these guys are saying are just ridiculous." I replied, forcing my eyes to lock onto my lap.

I heard Percy chuckle softly. "Yeah, they act like that sometimes. It can get annoying though. Sometimes Leo can take it a little too far with his comments and jokes, but overall they're great company, more or less."

I laughed and Percy grinned at me. I glanced over my shoulder to look at the others. Leo was flirting with Reyna, who was glaring at him fiercely but couldn't help but blush. Piper and Jason were poking and shoving each other playfully, grinning lovingly at each other. I smiled at the sight. They all seemed so comfortable with each other. Like a family. A _real_ family.

Percy's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "We're here."

* * *

Percy parked a building away from Fabiola's. Once he killed the engine, Leo whooped and climbed over Reyna to get out the door. She spluttered incoherently and glared murderously at him. Once he opened the door, she shoved him hard, making him faceplant the sidewalk.

I laughed, not being able to contain myself. Reyna smirked at his groaning figure and shot me a wink, and then stepped out of the car, kicking Leo playfully in the stomach. "Killer Girl, you're killing me here," he groaned, managing to roll onto his back.

Reyna crossed her arms over her chest and smirked down at him, shrugging nonchalantly. "It's my job."

Leo rolled his eyes but managed to grin up at her and wink. He held out his hand to a blushing Reyna. "Well, instead of trying to murder me, can you help me up for once?"

Reyna snorted and grabbed his hand reluctantly. She hoisted him up with no problem, her face taking on a light red tint.

Piper came up to them, Jason right behind her. She grinned at them. "You guys are adorable together."

Reyna narrowed her eyes at her and crossed her arms defiantly. "Piper, I am anything _but_ adorable."

Leo winked at her. "Not in my eyes."

Reyna's face went blank as it turned a bright red, but she quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and turning to smack Leo's arm. He yelped in surprise but grinned teasingly at her.

"Alright guys," Percy's voice suddenly sounded behind me, making me jump in surprise. I turned to look at him leaning against the car, a cocky grin on his face. "We're ready to go. But first we gotta put on some contacts."

* * *

Soon enough, Percy had handed us each a pair of eye contacts. I had some caribbean blue ones, Percy some moss green ones, Reyna Pacific blue ones, Piper gray ones, Leo some hazel ones, and Jason had put some brown ones on.

After we were ready, we entered the building. Piper immediately went towards the front desk. A short stout woman in her late thirties was seated behind the desk, intently focused on her computer. She had brown hair slicked back into a tight bun, not a single hair sticking out. Her whole face seemed to be pulled back as well, not a wrinkle visible. She had cold, stern brown eyes that held no happiness in them.

"Hello ma'am!" Piper greeted happily nonetheless. The lady's eyes landed on her, flashing with annoyance and distaste. "Hello," she said dryly, her voice dripping with irritation.

Piper kept a charming smile on her face, her white teeth blinding everyone around her. "My name is Rebecca Simmons. My friends and I are here on an important meeting to talk to Mr. Fabiola."

The woman's eyes studied Piper wearily, as if she thought Piper might whip out a knife and stab her. On second thought, Piper would be capable of doing that if she was ordered to. "I don't remember Mr. Fabiola ever giving me your name."

Piper's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure? Because Mr. Fabiola told me personally that he made sure to _definitely_ give you this information. Do you not recall this?"

The woman's face seemed to deadpan for about three seconds, and then she blinked twice and her eyes landed on Piper, as if barely acknowledging her presence. "So...Mr. Fabiola _did_ give me your name?"

Piper nodded earnestly. "Oh yes. You _have_ to remember him giving you the name Rebecca Simmons and saying that I would come with a group of people to talk to him. Right?" She urged, her voice sweet yet holding an earnest tone under it.

The lady nodded immediately. "Yes, yes I remember now. Rebecca Simmons. Group of people. Yes, very well. Mr. Fabiola should be heading out of his office at this moment."

Piper flashed her a grin. "Thank you so much. We appreciate your help. Have a nice day!"

The lady nodded, her eyes glazed over. We wasted no time in heading towards the first elevator and riding all the way up to the sixth floor.

* * *

Once we arrived, we stepped out of the elevator, and Percy headed straight down the hall to our left. He kept walking until he reached a room at the end of the hall. Instead of knocking, he barged right in, gun in hand.

Jason followed, his gun also at hand as well as Leo. Reyna stepped in next, her twin hunting knives at hand. Piper and I stepped in next, the both of us carrying daggers.

The office was large, with couches in the middle of the room, a snack bar on the left side of the room, a TV, and a sleek brown desk near the windows, which were ten feet tall and showed a clear view of the city buildings. There were four doors on either side of the room, probably leading to a different office.

Brandon Fabiola was sitting on his cushioned leather black swivel chair, an apple hung loosely in his hand, his mouth wide open, his munched pieces of apple on display.

He was a large man, more on the plump side than muscular, but he did seem to have some muscle. His black hair was in a buzz cut, the hair nearest his forehead already gone, displaying a shiny forehead. He was wearing a clean and neatly pressed white suit, a gray tie tucked in as well. A big fat diamond sat on his pinky finger, so the whole world could know how wealthy this man really was.

He grinned at Percy, but it seemed nervous. "Ah...company. Who are you, may I ask?" He questioned, his eyes flickering nervously to the gun in Percy's hand.

Percy smirked. "I'm Riptide. Leader of the most feared gang in the U.S, The Olympians."

Fabiola made a choked sound in the back of his throat and his eyes went wide. He managed to swallow, and then stood up uneasily from his chair. "And, why do you owe me the pleasure of a visit from you and your... Friends?" He asked, his eyes fixed on Percy.

Percy shrugged nonchalantly, walking around the room leisuresly. "You seemed to have done something that practically begged for me to come and visit you personally." He replied, walking closer to Fabiola's desk.

A bead of sweat began forming on Fabiola's forehead, threatening to drip down his face. "And what do you mean by that?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly.

Percy chuckled humorlessly. He finally reached Fabiola's desk, and he set one palm on the desk. "Well, seems to me you've been messing with my Father and uncle's company. Even told the news they were doing something illegal." He said, locking eyes with the business man.

Fabiola made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. "You-you're father's company? But the only one I ever talked to the news about was..." He trailed off, looking at Percy with wide eyes, who was smirking down at Fabiola, as if his fear entertained him.

Fabiola swallowed hard. "You're one of the sons of the owners of Olympus Enterprises."

Percy nodded in response, his eyes twinkling mischievously behind his contacts. "Right I am."

"Which one?"

Percy shrugged. "That information I can't give out. But what I _can_ say is that you are going to die today."

Percy slowly lifted his gun and pointed it at Fabiola's forehead. The business man looked on the verge of breaking down when he smirked. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I have security guards outside every one of those doors. If you so much as touch me, I will immediately call for them, shouting that your one of the Olympus Enterprise's owner's son's as well." He threatened. He seemed confident, but I could see he was lying. It was obvious.

Percy seemed to waver, but he didn't lower his gun. He clenched his jaw, and I knew he was refusing the urge to curse, because that would just show Fabiola that he managed to trap Percy.

"He's lying," I spoke up, not sure why I decided to. But I felt the need to warn Percy of this. It just seemed right.

Everyone in the room turned to look at me, but I ignored their stares, instead locking eyes with Fabiola's. I straightened. "His eyes keep darting to the left, suggesting he isn't telling the truth. If he was, he'd remain eye contact, but he's not doing that. Also, he's sweating way too much for a man that is acting confident. He's lying about there being security guards outside these rooms. They just lead to other offices, and one of them must lead to a bathroom as well."

They all stared at me for a second, but by looking at Fabiola, I knew I had said the right things. Percy slowly turned back to face Fabiola, a sly grin on his face. "Hear that? Are you lying to me? Because that's not good. It's never good to lie to Percy Jackson."

Fabiola's eyes turned wide at hearing the name, but before he could say anything, Percy pulled the trigger, and Fabiola was shot through the head. He slumped forward, a puddle of blood now soaking his papers, his apple forgotten on the floor.

Percy turned to face us, his eyes wild and a grin on his face. He opened his mouth to say something when someone opened the door we had come through. A security guard.

"Sir, are you alright? I thought I heard something-" his eyes landed on us and then on Brandon's dead body, and they widened. Before he could tell anything, Jason raised his gun and quickly shot the guard in the chest, sending him tumbling to the floor.

One quick glance at Percy, and we all seemed to know the plan. Run.

* * *

We took the stairs instead of the elevator, quickly racing down to the lobby. The woman's eyes landed on us and our weapons, and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She shrieked loudly, pointing directly at us. "Security! Security!" She yelled loudly.

Leo rolled his eyes and turned back and quickly shot the lady in between the eyes, making her slump forward and faceplant all her papers, blood gushing out of her head rapidly. I looked at Leo with a, _what the fuck?_ Look.

He shrugged as we ran out the doors. "I hated that lady the minute I laid eyes on her."

I rolled my eyes once again, and we soon reached the car. We climbed in just as we heard the sound of sirens going off in the distance. Percy wasted no time in putting on his seatbelt, and then roaring the car to life. He immediately pressed down on the gas pedal, making the tires screech in protest, and then raced us down the road, the wail of the sirens fading the farther we drove.

* * *

We soon reached the house, and once we entered, Percy had called his dad and went into the living room to talk to him. The others were cheering and laughing, and I had joined them in the kitchen to share a drink.

Jason served us all a glass of wine, and we all toasted, including me. Sure, seeing Percy kill a man as well as Jason and Leo, but now, I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to those things. I would have to get use to them, and getting a headstart on that wasn't too bad. But I already knew that I would be having nightmares about it.

Bianca had entered as well soon after, and passed on the wine and drank orange juice instead. Leo had made a face at the drink, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he resumed to flirting with Reyna, who looked about ready to kill him.

Bianca bumped her hip against mine. She gave me a kind smile. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

I sighed, leaning back against the kitchen island. "Honestly? I don't really know anymore. I'm gonna have to get use to it, but its still so hard seeing these things happen before my eyes, and actually believe that this is my life now. It's hard." I replied thoughtfully, swishing the red liquid around the see through glass, watching as it changed from a dark red, to a lighter red. A mix. Just like my emotions right now.

Bianca smiled sadly at me and placed a hand on my arm. She opened her mouth to say something, but whatever she wanted to say was cut short as a scowling Percy entered the kitchen.

His face and eyes were a mix of emotions. His face looked distressed, confused, disbelief written all over it. His green eyes shone with confusion, irritation, anger, and again, disbelief. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in different directions.

I furrowed my eyebrows in concern. "What's wrong? What'd your dad say?"

Percy's eyes locked with mine. "My Father says he wants to meet you."

* * *

 **Woohoo, Poseidon in the next chapter! Along with a bunch of Percabeth as well. I don't know if after you read the next chapter you'll want to hug me, or beat me with a stick. Maybe both! Anyway, the next chapter is gonna be really exciting, so stay in tune for that! Again, _major_ Percabeth in the next chapter. Maybe even some revelations...**

 **And... JASON GRACE'S BIRTHDAY IS TODAY! YAYYYYYY! If you guys can, wear something yellow, write Sparky on your wrist, and join me in singing Happy Birthday to him at 7:00 PM today! It'll be Amazhang! :D**

 **Excuse any mistakes in this, I'm tired as hell, but I'll edit it later sometime, promise ((:**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY! :DDDD**

 **~Kat**


	19. Chapter 18

**Heyy guys! Happy late Fourth of July everyone! I ate smores ((: I hope all of you had an amazing day ((: So..I'm excited for this chapter, because I mean, Percabeth's in it, so who wouldn't be?! So I'mma just jump right into it, but before I do, I'd like to recognize these amazing reviews! You don't have to read em.**

 _ **Nathan556:**_ **Thank you so much! :D**

 _ **WiseGirl3443:**_ **Thank you so so so much! I appreciate your kindness ((: And here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it :D**

 _ **Bookfangirl554:**_ **Thanks! And you'll find out how it goes in this chapter (; hope you're pleased with the results!**

 _ **Random Guest:**_ **Im glad you found it too! And you'll find out in the next chapter ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Well, I wasnt planning on starting The Perfect Fit yet, I just wanted to see if you guys liked the idea ((: If you guys did, I'd just write about five chapters of it, but not post them until we start to reach the end of Sworn off Love, which is depressing to think about )): but I definitely will write it ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im glad you love it! And I wanna give you a hug too ((: * gives virtual hug***

 _ **Guest:**_ **Well here's the next chapter! Hope you love it!**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Hey! Glad to hear from you again! ((: And thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that! And don't worry about the grounding thing, my parents don't ground me often, and it'll only be for a week. They're not too consistent on it, so I'll be fine (and you guys will too) :D**

 _ **Shilcow:**_ **Hehe...well, it was something really, really stupid I shouldn't have done. So, my friends and I basically made a group chat on our school accounts, on our Google Docs, which my parents did not know about. My friends and I tend to swear a lot, so of course, our conversations consisted of a lot of swear words. And...my parents saw some of what my friend wrote, which consisted of a lot of bad words, and I erased it so they wouldn't read all of it, which got them pissed. So yeah... They overreact a lot, which is hard to cope with, but oh well. I manage to be as inconspicuous as possible with the things I hide from them. I feel guilty about it sure...but a girl's gotta have her breathing room, right? I can't have them breathing on my ear all the time, and I'm starting to become more independent, which is something my parents are trying to get use to, but they'll manage ((:**

 **Now... Onto Sworn off Love! I'm so excited XD HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

At around 7:45 in the afternoon, I was ready to go out to dinner to meet Percy's dad.

I'll admit, my mind did go blank when he announced the news to me. Then, I had felt panic start to rise up in my chest. Why would Percy's dad want to meet me? What will he say? What will he do? What if he has bad news for me?

But I'd managed to calm my beating heart, reassuring myself that everything would be fine, so I'd asked when and where. Percy had said he wanted to meet me at a favorite restaurant of his here in Los Angeles at around 8:30. Percy would be coming along as well, and I felt grateful for that. I knew that a conversation with Poseidon would be extremely awkward. But with Percy there, he'd at least ease the tension and bring up some other topics of discussion.

I looked into the bathroom mirror. I had put on some very light blush, some dark eyeshadow, and some light lip gloss. I didn't like lipstick. If I ever drank something or wiped my mouth, it'd rub off anyway and ruin it, so why put some on? With lip gloss it was the same, but at least it wasn't so visible.

I had put on a long sleeved flowing white top, tucked into a maroon colored mini skirt, with some black tights under it. I has settled for some maroon colored platform boots and fixed my hair into a feather waterfall braid.

I stared at myself longer in the mirror, wondering how anyone could call me beautiful. I was awful. Horrible. Disgusting. Ugly. Pathetic.

This were the words _he_ used to describe me. Those are the words I've been accustomed to now. That's what I call myself now. The more _he_ said them to me, right to my face, the more I believed they were true. And they are.

Tears began swelling up in my eyes, and I furiously blinked them away. I cannot cry right now. I have to go meet Percy downstairs, and then go meet his father. I can't start crying now.

But that's all I've been doing. Crying.

* * *

I grabbed my purse and then headed downstairs, anxious yet desperate to leave. This dinner would take my mind off things. But also, it might include topics of discussion that would make me a nervous wreck all over again.

I'm just hoping everything will turn out fine.

But will it really?

I spotted Percy leaning against one of the columns in the entrance, his back facing me. He was dressed in black slacks, a nice blue button up shirt, and black dress shoes. His hair was as wild as always, and I somehow knew he probably didn't bother to try and tame it anyway. He was wearing a silver chain necklace around his neck, glintinh as he shifted his weight to his other leg. At the sight of him, my stomach gave an uncomfortable churn, and I suddenly felt the need to go throw up. My stomach has been getting these feelings a lot lately, and I'm starting to wish that I could just stay in my room forever, secluded from all my problems. But unfortunately, the universe hates me.

I inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly, and then began to walk down the steps. My boots made a muffled thump against the stairs, the sound echoing through the house. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, and I was sure the noise drowned out the sounds of my footsteps. Why am I so nervous? Percy will be there. He said he'd protect me. But will he _really?_ That's what _he_ had said the first time I met him. He said he'd protect me from any harm. Little did I know that he'd soon be doing the harming. And then I'd be alone.

All alone.

Percy turned around, pocketing his phone. He was scowling, no surprise there. But when he met my eyes, the scowl faded, replaced by a blank look. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. We just... stared at each other. No one spoke. No one blinked. No one breathed. Simply stared. His eyes were unreadable, and I wanted to punch him for being able to hide his emotions so well. The only look his eyes with held was heartbreak. But why? Who would ever break Percy's heart? He'd never mentioned a girlfriend throughout the time I've been living here. But now I'm starting to wonder what happened to him.

Percy held secrets. That part was obvious. I've heard countless times before from the others that he had a rough past, and I believed them. He seemed so dull. His eyes looked so broken, that when I looked into them, I had a strong urge to hug him and never let go. But I can't. I don't like Percy. I never will. Because I've sworn off love forever.

Finally, after a heartbeat's moment of silence, Percy cleared his throat and smiled at me, but it looked strained. "Ready?" He asked, gesturing towards the door.

I straightened and swung my purse over my shoulder. I gave him a forced smile. "Always."

* * *

After about ten minutes of driving silently, my thoughts began to wander. I couldn't help it. My mind just wouldn't shut up.

What if Poseidon tells me news I don't want to hear? Will he hate me for being the daughter of the woman that played him? I was starting to regret having a Mother that is so good at getting people to do things for her without them even realizing it. What am I going to do? I'm going to look so weak if he mentions something that triggers an old memory. If I think about _him..._ No, I won't. He's gone forever. I will never see that bastard again.

I suddenly felt someone's hand rest on top of mine, and I flinched so hard, I sent my purse flying out of my lap and to the car floor. My heart beat wildly, and I was sure I looked like a deer in headlights. I turned my head to look at Percy, who was giving me a troubled look. His eyes softened. "Hey," he said gently, giving my hand a soft squeeze. "You'll be fine. My Father just wants to meet you. Everything will be okay." He gave me a reassuring smile, and I found myself calming down a bit more. He's right. Everything's going to be fine. I shouldn't have to worry.

I looked at him and gave him a genuine small smile. "Thanks, Percy. I'm glad you're coming along."

Percy grinned and turned to face the road. "No problem, Annabeth. And besides," he shrugged. "I haven't seen my Dad in quite a while. It'd be nice to meet up with him."

"Are you two close?" I asked, bending down to pick up my purse.

Percy stayed quiet for a minute, and I was starting to regret asking the question. Finally, he sighed and shrugged again. "I mean, we used to be. Now, we just talk about the gang business and discuss things about Olympus Enterprises, since I'm his second-in-command after all."

I frowned. "Use to be?"

Percy's eyes flickered over to me. They seemed sad, full of regret, and held anger in them. "I, um, don't wanna talk about it."

I nodded slowly, settling back in my seat to stare at the road. "I understand."

The car was filled with uneasy silence. Percy stared intently at the road, his eyes fixed on the car in front of him. I wanted so desperately to find out what happened to make his relationship with his dad waver, but I didn't want to pry. I know how he feels with people always asking me questions about why I don't date, or what ever happened to my Dad. I hate it when they pester me about it. I just want them to shut up and leave me alone. So if Percy doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't have to.

Percy sighed, breaking me out of my thoughts. I glanced at him, but he kept his eyes glued to the road. "My Mom, Dad and I used to be a happy family. It was just the three of us. We were happy with that. My Mom," he paused, smiling wistfully. "She was... she was amazing. She had the most beautiful smile. Just one look at it could brighten up your day. She was the nicest, sincerest person ever. She loved to cook. Her favorite color was blue. She was obsessed with it. She got me into getting obsessed with the color as well. So ever since I was about three, she'd go out of her way to make every single thing she cooked up for me blue. She was awesome. I'd help her out, play with her, spend my whole day with her. She loved my Dad. He loved her too. He'd bring her presents every day. He'd try his best to spend time with Mom and I. We'd go to the beach every weekend and stayed at a cabin my Dad owner there. We were a happy family. Soon enough, when I turned fifteen, Olympus Enterprises started growing. It was getting more and more attention. My Dad and uncles soon rose to the top in the business industry. They outshone other companies. People started getting jealous. They were also running The Olympians at the time, and how they managed to keep everything in order, I have no idea. Things were great for two years with everything. Dad started saying how I would take over his field in Olympus Enterprises. How I would soon become the leader of The Olympians. I was nervous, but I was determined to live up to my Dad's expectations." Percy paused, his eyes turning cloudy. I hung onto his every word, staring so hard at him, I was sure my eyes would soon burn lasers into his head. I brought my hand to rest on his knee almost instinctively. His eyes flickered towards it, and then his eyes met my face. They had a glassy look to them, and I could see tears in them.

I blinked, not sure if the moon was the one affecting what I was seeing. Percy was...crying?

I didn't know what to think of this. I never thought I'd see _Percy Jackson_ cry. The infamous gang leader of The Olympians. But I mean, everyone cries. Percy is a human being. He has the right to cry.

I didn't know what to do. I rubbed the hand that was settled on his knee gently up and down it, encouraging him to keep going. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, his eyes focused on the road. "Well, two years later, when I was seventeen, I was at home helping my Mom do something, I'm not sure what. Cook food? I think that's what it was. Well, she had asked me to go to the store to get some groceries for her. I went of course, and I still remember the words my Mom said to me before I left. She looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Be careful.' I had simply rolled my eyes at her concern and kissed her on the cheek, and left. I spent at least thirty minutes at the store, and went back home. When I arrived though," Percy paused, and then choked on the words. "The house was in flames. I went in, despite the fire, and tried to look for my Mom. I was desperate. I was scared. All I wanted was to find my Mom, but I couldn't. I couldn't find her. She wasn't anywhere. All I remember about her is going into the kitchen, and finding her blue dotted apron on the floor, the flames curling around it. I would've searched every damn inch of that house, but the firemen pulled me out." A single tear traced Percy's cheek, running down ever so slowly, as if it wanted to take the time to be able to show the whole world that Percy Jackson was crying. I didn't say anything. I simply gazed at the road, continuing to rub my hand up and down his knee cap.

"I couldn't save her," Percy said, his voice hoarse. I bit my lip, not being able to stand seeing him like this. He looked so sad, so broken, so disappointed in himself. Nothing like the confident, slightly cocky, rude and moody Percy I'd met not two and a half weeks ago. I didn't say anything. When someone says they're sorry, they're really not. In reality, they're just making things worse for the person. I've had to deal feeling like that my whole life.

I was silent for about two minutes before I spoke. "I lost a family member too. Three, in fact," I whispered, my voice the only sound in the car.

Percy's eyes flickered over to me, and then back to the road. He furrowed his eyebrows, the tears gone from his face, leaving only a gleaming line raking down his face, replaced by a guarded look. "How?" He asked hesitantly.

I sighed, not knowing exactly why I was going to tell Percy this. I didn't even tell Melissa about this. Why should I tell Percy? The person I should least trust right now.

 _Because he told you his story. The least you can do is tell him yours. What's the harm in that?_ A voice in the back of my head reasoned.

I winced. That was true. I should tell him, even if I start bawling like a little girl. The memories are so vivid... even if this happened eleven years ago. I gently removed my hand from Percy's knee, not realizing it was still there.

Percy's sea green eyes kept transfixed on the road, still glinting with sadness and anger. I felt sorry for him. I wanted nothing more than to wrap him in a hug and do my best to comfort him.

I frowned. Stop it Annabeth. Stop thinking things like that. You do not want to hug him. Not ever.

I leaned back into the seat, shifting my leg and crossing it over my knee, my skirt riding up slightly. I absentmindedly pulled it down, closing my eyes lightly.

"My Mother's company had been formed when I was about two years old. Soon enough, it had started getting more and more famous and well-known. My Mother had ran it, but my Dad had just been there to help out once in a while. I guess he wanted the company for himself, but my Mother was determined to run it on her own. My family was... complicated. Around when I was seven years old, my Dad had had an affair with another woman. She had given birth to two baby boy twins. I guess they were a mistake, because their mom didn't want to keep them, so she handed them over to my Dad. He wanted to keep it a secret, but my Mother is smart, and she found out soon enough. She was furious at first, but she fell in love with the boys. She wanted to keep them after all. She raised them as if they were her own kids. Mathew and Bobby. That's what we named them." I paused, feeling a sob already forming in my throat. I swallowed it down, but it felt like the equivalent to swallowing down a warm thick ball of yarn. I felt Percy's eyes on me, and I opened my eyes to realize that we had stopped on a red light. His eyes were washed away from anger, but the sadness was still in them. He placed a hand on my knee, just like I had done to him earlier.

His eyes locked with mine, green on gray."Yeah?" He asked gently.

I swallowed thickly again, tears already pricking the corners of my eyes. I took a deep breath. "I loved them. I was no longer lonely in the house. I taught them their ABC's. I played with them. I pretended to be a teacher while they were the students. They were so cute. I loved them." I squeezed my eyes shut, their images still burned in the back of my mind. Their curly brown hair. They're big blue eyes than shone with mischief and childlike curiosity. The way their dimples were imprinted on to either cheek whenever they grinned. The little dimple on their chins when they frowned. So vivid. So real.

I felt Percy's thumb rub soothing circles across my knee, dragging the tights slightly across the skin. "What happened?" I heard him ask, his voice soft with concern.

I shrugged half-heartedly. I opened my eyes and gazed at the road, not wanting to meet Percy's eyes. "Well, we were a good family for the next six years. I heard my Mother and Dad fight often, but at that age, I didn't really process those things. I just cared about having to live my childhood to the fullest. My Mother had told me she would pass the company on to me someday. I guess my Dad didn't like that idea. He would look at me with a slight frown, but I still loved him. With all my heart. One day though, my Dad was going to take the twins with him to the store. My Mother and him had had a fight that day. There was a lot of yelling, and I remember even hearing the smashing of a vase. The sound of slapping against skin. Again, I didn't pay this much attention, but I still remember. The twins were six years old by then. I was barely thirteen. My Dad had grabbed the twins, snatched the car keys from the table, and had started towards the door. My Mother had come after him, her face red and blotchy and full of tears. Her dress was crumpled and wrinkled. Her brown hair was messy and knotted from the top. I remember hearing her tell my Dad, 'don't do it. Don't go. Stay. We can talk things over. Please don't go. Leave the twins here.' But my Dad just ignored her. While he was walking down the sidewalk and to his car with the twins, I recall stopping in front if him. I'd asked, 'Daddy, where are you going? Can I come?' He had given me a weird smile. One that was different than the other times he had smiled. His eyes had shone with a look I didn't recognize from him. He had replied with a kiss to my head, and then, 'I'm taking the twins for a walk in the park. How about instead of coming along, you make us some sandwiches for when we come back?' I'd happily agreed, and my Dad and the twins left. When I walked inside, I saw my Mother crying on the floor, her fingernails digging in her scalp. I had hugged her for a while, but then remembered what I was going to do for my Dad and the twins, so I set to work on the sandwiches."

I paused to swallow a sob forming in my throat. The red light had changed to green, and Percy was driving, his eyes locked on the road. His thumb continued to rub circles on my knee, calming me down ever so slightly. "They never came home to eat the sandwiches," I choked out. Percy's eyes flickered to me, flashing with worry. His motions paused for a millisecond, before continuing again.

I bit my lip. "The police had called that night. They said that they appeared to have been in a car crash. But they found no bodies. My Mother had seemed to know something, but she said nothing. I tried asking her, but she'd shut me out. She managed to keep the company spick and span, running smoothly and confidently. But I still remember that day. Down to every last word. To every last detail. To every last image."

I single tear escaped my eyes, tickling my face and landing still at the bottom of my cheek. Percy's hand came up from my knee and up to my face. He cradled it, and then used his thumb to brush away that single tear. I felt a stinging sensation in the bottom of my stomach, and I pushed the feeling away. No time for those uncomfortable feelings. Not right now.

I felt myself lean into Percy's hand, blinking hard to keep any years from escaping again. His eyes flickered over to me, their color piercing with the moon shining overhead. The light from it cast a silver glow on him, outlining his sharp features from his face. Even more gorgeous.

 _Stop that, Annabeth._

Right.

I felt Percy's thumb stroke my cheek once more, and I met his eyes. He gave me a small smile. "Annabeth, I'm going to do my best to take your mind off those memories," he shifted his hand to brush a curl behind my ear. "I promise."

* * *

About five minutes later, we had arrived at the restaurant. It was called _The Mince Garden._ It was dimly lit, with lanterns hanging around the patio outside the restaurant. A few tables were set up there, with about five people seated out there. The place was fancy enough, and I could see the place was full.

I was so lost in taking it all in, I didn't notice Percy get out of the car and come over to my side. He opened the door for me and gave me a smile. I rolled my eyes but smiled, grabbing my purse and stepping out. A light, cool breeze greeted me when I stood up, ruffling my skirt and hair. I breathed in the air, smiling when I took it all in.

Percy shut the car door and smiled at me, his eyes glinting with slight amusement, content, yet still had sadness lingering in them. A part of me was determined to wipe that sadness out of them. The other part of me just wanted to let him be.

Stupid feelings.

Percy held out his elbow towards me and smiled charmingly, the action causing a swelling feeling to rise in my stomach. A loose giggle escaped my lips and I mentally winced. I haven't giggled in a long time. Not since that night.

I pushed those thoughts away and the feeling in my stomach and slipped my arm through Percy's. I shot him a grin, and we strode inside.

* * *

When we stepped into the restaurant, I was hit with the delicious smell of cooking food. Percy immediately led us to a booth, a woman with black hair pulled back in a bun standing behind it, a thick binder in front of her. "Hello," she greeted warmly once we arrived. My eyes flickered to her name tag. _Arlet._

Her eyes flitted towards me, and I fought the urge to wince. I wasn't wearing a disguise, meaning everyone in this restaurant would recognize me. Maybe not everyone, but definitely the majority. Percy's eyes widened as well, and he put a finger to his lips when he saw the excited gleam in the woman's amber eyes. I copied the movement, and the Arlet nodded in understanding, but I could see she was strongly restraining herself from squealing or yelling out my name.

She reached under the booth to hand me a menu, as to hide my face with it, I presumed. "Thank you," I said, giving her a kind smile. She winked at me and turned towards Percy, her eyes widening in recognition as well. I almost forgot Percy was quite well-known himself. She plastered a happy grin on her face, her amber eyes twinkling.

Percy cleared his throat and smiled. "Uh, we have a reservation. Under the name Jackson."

Arlet nodded in understanding and flipped open the thick binder, papers flopping to the side along with it. She placed a finger on the page and raked it down, her eyes intently focused on the page. Finally, she grinned. "Ah, Jackson. Yes, of course."

She turned and waved another woman over. A tall woman in her early twenties with chocolate brown hair pulled into a ponytail with dark brown eyes walked over. She had high cheekbones and a slender body, with dark long lashes framing her eyes. My eyes flitted down to her name tag, which read, _Cristina._

Arlet leaned over to Cristina and whispered something in her ear. Cristina's dark eyes flickered over to me and then Percy, and widened in excitement. But then, she put on an indifferent expression and nodded. She smiled at Percy and I, then beckoned us to follow after her, menus at hand. I kept the menu poised over my face as I walked, grabbing on to Percy's arm for support. She led us to a corner in the back of the restaurant, secluded from everyone else.

I lowered the menu from my face and smiled gratefully at her. She beamed at me in return and placed three menus on the table. Percy and I sat down, while Cristina whipped out her notepad. "Hello, welcome to The Mince Garden. My name is Cristina, and I'll be your waitress today. Would you want to order at least your drinks now, or later?" She asked, her face neutral, yet eyes shining with giddy.

"Well, we're just waiting for my Father to arrive, but yeah, we'll order our drinks now. He should arrive soon," Percy answered, flipping to the back of the menu to look at the drinks. Cristina nodded and smiled.

I grinned up at her. "I would like a lemonade please."

She nodded and wrote it down on her notepad. Percy looked up from his menu and grinned charmingly at her. "And I'd like a simple Coke please."

Cristina's mouth twitched in amusement and I raised an eyebrow at Percy, who grinned and shrugged in response. Cristina looked up from her notepad and beamed at us. "All righty. I'll be back with your drinks in a few minutes."

And with that, she strode off, skipping a little as she walked. I chuckled slightly and shook my head. Then I shot Percy an inquisitive look. "A Coke? Really? At a fancy restaurant like this?"

He shrugged and grinned at me, his pearly white teeth on perfect display. "I don't like any of the other shit on here. But I _do_ like Coke."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. My face suddenly lit up with an idea, and I dug into my purse. Percy's eyes narrowed in confusion, but I ignored it. Finally, I felt the plastic material and the cap of it. I pulled it out with a grin. Percy shot me a, _what the fuck?_ look.

"What the hell? Who the fuck carries a Sharpie in their purse?" He asked, eyeing the black Sharpie with an amused look.

I straightened defiantly. " _I_ do. Problem?"

Percy chuckled and held his hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying, what if the cap comes off and messes up all your makeup shit?"

I scoffed. "I don't carry makeup in here, dumbass."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Then what do you need the Sharpie for?"

I grinned and pulled the two menus I had over to me. "To sign an autograph. Well, _autographs,_ plural. We're lucky those girls haven't shrieked my name, because then we'd have to literally claw our way out of here."

Percy chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, Annabeth. Gonna cause us trouble everywhere we go."

I scoffed softly as I signed my name across the top of the two menus, the signature so familiar, it made my heart ache. I pushed the feeling away and placed them back in the corner of the table and looked in the direction of the entrance. I sucked in a breath when I noticed who had just walked in.

"Percy," I hissed, my heart starting to thump nervously. His eyes gazed towards the entrance, and when he saw him, he frowned slightly. I wasn't sure how that was supposed to make me feel.

The man's green eyes landed on us and he smiled, crinkles forming at the ends of his eyes. He walked over, and I instantly stood up to greet him.

He had broad shoulders, salt and pepper hair, a kind twinkle in his oceany eyes, and a smile that reached both ends of his face. Percy looked just like him, yet a younger version. Their eyes both had that same calm look, like an ocean on a sunny day. His eyes were darker shades of green and blue, but they still seemed to be at ease and patient. He had an aura of power that would make anyone stop what they're doing to look at him, and I found myself staring stupidly at him.

He held out his hand towards me and smiled, breaking me out of my embarrassing freeze up. "Hello, Miss Chase. Pleasure to finally meet you," he said formally, his eyes glinting with slight amusement, though I had no idea why.

I cleared my throat and smiled back at him, grasping his hand firmly. "Likewise, Mr. Jackson."

He grinned and waved carelessly. "Call me Poseidon. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing each other quite often."

My heart thumped nervously in my chest, and I narrowed my eyes slightly, not sure what to make of this news. Thankfully, before I could say anything that might get me on Poseidon's bad side, Percy cleared his throat and smiled at Poseidon, half genuine half fake. "Hey, Dad. Long time no see."

Poseidon smiled, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. His eyes glinted with familiarity, but a sadness lingered in them, the same look I've seen in Percy's eyes one too many times. "Ah, Percy. Glad to see you, son."

They gave each other an awkward hug, Percy patting Poseidon's back uncomfortably. The hug lasted for about five seconds and then they pulled back hastily. They didn't meet each other's eyes, shifting everywhere but each other. The tension was obvious between them, and I felt sorry for them. They had lost a wife and a mother. Of course they'd be uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Cristina came back with a tray carrying Percy and I's drinks. She stopped in front of us and grinned nervously, her eyes widening slightly when her eyes flickered to Poseidon's broad figure. She coughed softly and placed the tray on the table. "Um, here are your drinks," she stated unsurely. She smiled kindly at Poseidon. "Would you like to order something to drink?"

The business man smiled politely at her. "A simple water would be fine please."

Cristina nodded and swiftly began walking away, obviously wanting to get away from here. I couldn't blame her. I wanted to run away too.

I gestured towards the seats. "Let's sit, shall we?" I said, planting myself in my seat.

The two men nodded and instantly sat down. There was an awkward pause of silence for about three minutes. Our eyes shifted everywhere, but were yet to meet one another's eyes. For a second, Percy's eyes locked with mine, and he gave me a nervous smile. It was a smile that said, _it'll be fine._

But will it Percy? Will it really?

* * *

 **0-0 That's an awkward situation they're in.**

 **Alright guys, so I was gonna write more, but I would've taken at least two more days to finish what I planned on writing. But please don't hate me. I promise the next chapter will probably satisfy your needs, and mine too. But I mean hey, I gave you some Percabeth in this chapter (: (my favorite part is when Percy caresses Annabeth's cheek :3)**

 **Next chapter will come soon. Also, I'm starting this school summer program, but that won't be affecting my updating schedule, since it's in the morning and only lasts for three hours.**

 **Also... LEO VALDEZ'S BIRTHDAY IS ON FRIDAY! YAYYYYYY! I'm so happy :DDDD If you guys can, wear something orange on that day, write whatever nickname you like best of Leo (there are many to choose from) and join me in singing him Happy Birthday at 7 pm on Friday (((:**

 **And omgs guys! We're so close to 100 reviews! You think you can make that happen? I'd be the literal most happiest girl in the world if we did (((: Excuse any mistakes in this, my bad 0-o**

 **~Kat**


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! I'm back with another update! And I'm so so so excited! WE'VE REACHED OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS GUYS! (not counting this chapter) BUT YAYY! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU'RE AMAZING AND YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY WITH ALL YOU'RE WONDERFUL AND NICE COMMENTS!**

 **For that, I'mma take some time to recognize these amazing reviewers ((: (don't have to read)**

 _ **Bookfangirl445:**_ **Hmm maybe... And your enthusiasm makes my day! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it ((:**

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 ** _Nathan556:_ Haha yep, I'm full of surprises...And I'mma keep surprising you guys, so watch out (;**

 _ **Jakeluke1974:**_ **Yay! Thank you so much for your review and nice comments! Here's the next chapter! ((:**

 _ **Shilcow:**_ **Yeah... sometimes you just can't get the privacy and time to just do whatever you want without others practically on top of you. And thank you so much! Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Well, here you have your chapter and don't worry, there will definitely be a lot of Percabeth in it :DD And I'm glad you love reading this story! ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thanks so much! Here's the next chapter :DDD**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Wow, thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that you've become addicted to this story, because that's what I want ((: And thanks about the part of having talent! I try my very best, so thank you (:**

 _ **PaL14:**_ **Im glad you love it! And thank you so much! I actually was inspired to write this story after reading one called _Criminal._ It was an AU of Percy being a gang leader, and the author never finished it, so I felt the strong need to write a story like that. So here it is! I'm glad I stumbled upon that AU, because I don't think I would've gotten the idea to write this story. So, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy ((:**

 _ **Anon:**_ **Im so glad to see you're enjoying this fanfic! I'm enjoying writing it ((: And yes, I will write The Perfect Fit, so stay in tune for that! Thank you for your support, you don't know how much this means to me. And I will finish Sworn off Love to the end, because who wants to not find out what happens to our two beloved heartbroken characters?**

 _ **Forex:**_ **Yeah..I hate incomplete stories as well, but don't worry, I plan to finish this one to the end ((**

 ** _Awade0184:_ Thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you for your nice comments ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Yes! Happy birthday to Leo! Well, _late_ now, but still! And I think everyones gonna die if I don't update XD but here's the next chapter, so don't die on me :DDD**

 _ **bluemoon:**_ **Wow Thank you so much! I'm so happy you like this story, and it's fine, not everyone can spell XD**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Great to see from you again! And thank you so much for bookmarking this story. Thank you so so much for all your support and kind words. And you're welcome, I write this story for you guys, and for me as well ((:**

 **You guys are all so amazing, I love you all ≤3 (supposed to be a heart btw)**

 **Here's the chapter that will release so many feels, you'll all explode... (Don't really explode on me)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, fidgeting in our seats and eyes flickering everywhere. Finally, Poseidon spoke. "So, daughter of Athena, is that right?" He asked, his eyes scanning me wearily.

I immediately straightened and laced my hands together on top of the table. I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Yes, I am. Problem?"

Percy smirked slightly, his green orbs scanning his menu. Poseidon chuckled uncomfortably, his eyes twinkling with a look I couldn't decipher. "No, not at all. Your mother is quite the woman."

The corner of my lip curled slightly. "Yes. She told me about when you met, and your impression on her."

Poseidon's eyes flashed with a twinge of annoyance, yet they glinted with amusement as well. He sighed, his eyes raking down the menu in his hands. "Yes...your mother played me like a fool. I was an idiot, I'll admit that much. She's a sly one. I can't trust myself around her anymore."

I smiled in amusement at him. He seemed annoyed by the fact that my Mother played him like that, and the thought seemed to alter my confidence.

Cristina came over with a tall glass of water, placing it in front of Poseidon gingerly. She flashed us all a winsome smile. "Are you ready to order, or do you still require more time?"

Percy shrugged. "I'll have the steak meal."

Cristina nodded and wrote it down in her notepad. She turned to me, giving me a smile. "And for you?"

I smiled back at her. "I'd like the Parmesan Salad please."

Percy wrinkled his nose at me, and I rolled my eyes at him, emitting an amused chuckle from him. Cristina wrote down my order and turned to Poseidon. "And for you sir?" She asked, pen poised over the pad.

"I'll have the salmon meal, with a small salad on the side." He replied, giving her a kind smile. Cristina grinned and wrote it down. She turned back to us and reached over for the menus. I handed the ones I had signed to her last. "Give one to Arlet, and you keep the other one." I said with a secretive smile.

She frowned in confusion and glanced at the menus. Her eyes widened in disbelief and excitement, and she shot me a ecstatic grin. I winked at her, and with that she left, a crazy grin on her face and practically skipping across the restaurant.

I chuckled at her disappearing figure. Then I felt my heart sinking. _That will probably be the last time I ever give out an autograph._

 _Stop it Annabeth,_ I chided myself. _Dont think about that right now. Focus on talking to Poseidon and finding out what he wants._

I turned back to look at Poseidon, who was sipping his ice cold water, a thoughtful expression on his face. I cleared my throat to get his attention, and his eyes flickered up to mine, setting his water down on the table, his finger tips leaving visible marks on the watery outside of the glass.

I glanced over to look at Percy who was looking down at the table with a bored expression. My eyes focused back on to Poseidon, who was watching me expectantly. "So, why did you want to meet with me?" I asked, poising my hands on top of the table.

Poseidon smiled dryly, lacing his long fingers together on the table. "Well Ms. Chase, I wanted to hear about what you've been doing in The Olympians. I want to hear what you think of it." He replied, his eyes glinting.

I blinked at him, knowing he wouldn't want to hear what I thought of the gang. I was definitely not at all that pleased to have been practically forced into the gang. I know I hated them all from the start, but now I wasn't so sure. The longer I've spent time with them...the longer I've gotten to know them...my opinions are changing. But he isn't asking me to tell him how I feel about the _people_ in the gang. He's asking me how I feel about the _gang,_ and the gang only.

So instead, I began recounting my experiences with the gang. From start to finish. I told him about the alley incident, the fight at the bar, when we robbed that jewelry store, the explosion of Fabiola's hotel, and his death.

A dark amusement had shone on Poseidon's face when I talked about exploding one of Fabiola's most successful buildings, and about how we killed him. He got an excited gleam in his eyes when I did, the same way Percy did when he knew he was going to kill at least one person that day. It was unsettling, and made me nervous. _How could these men be excited about_ killing _and_ sabotaging _people?_

 _Because they've done it their whole lives,_ a voice in my head reminded.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, how could I forget?

At the end of my story, Poseidon nodded thoughtfully, a pleased smile on his face. "Very well. And how do you feel about the gang itself?"

I opened my mouth, but hesitated. What should I say? If I say I hate it, Percy and Poseidon will probably kill me. So instead, I answered his question with a question. I locked eyes with his, a challenging gleam sparking through my eyes. "How do _you_ feel about the gang, Poseidon?"

Percy snorted softly, his mouth quirking up at the end into a smirk. Poseidon regarded me carefully, and slowly, an amused smile spread across his face. He chuckled softly, shaking his head slowly. "Answering a question with a question. Just like your mother." His eyes met mine, a sort of challenging gleam flashing through them. "Athena only did that when she didn't want to answer a question. That was her way of avoiding it. Tell me, Ms. Chase. Why are you avoiding my question?"

I clenched my jaw tightly. "I asked you a question, Mr. Jackson."

He crossed his arms over his chest, and easy smile spreading across his face. "And I will answer your question, Ms. Chase. How I feel about the gang? I feel like it is definitely very successful, and has good members on it's side. The Olympians could easily call any place in America their territory. People cower in fear at the name. I say that's pretty impressive." He responded, raising an eyebrow amusedly.

I gripped the edge of my skirt tightly, my knuckles turning white. How could he say that? These people kill others for a living, and he calls _that_ impressive? What is _wrong_ with these people? Their idea of amusement is seeing buildings burned down, banks being robbed, and people being killed.

I plastered a smile on my face. "Well then, if that's what you think. I feel like The Olympians are... interesting. They kill people for their own amusement and fun. They rob banks just because. They can't handle others trying to rise to the top. I say that's pretty interesting, don't you think?" I asked, my voice innocent.

Percy's eyes flickered over to mine, a nervous and irritated glint to them. I smirked inwardly. Poseidon showed no emotion, simply studying me as if I was a new experiment that went wrong and he didn't know what to think of. Finally, a smile full of mirth spread across his face. He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well Ms. Chase, if that's what you think," he mimicked, a playful twinkle in his green eyes.

I bit back a retort as Cristina returned, a tray full of plates at hand. She unfolded this little carrying tray she had and set down the other tray carrying the food on top of it. Smiling warmly at us, she handed us all our dinner plates with ease.

The smell of the food was delicious, and my stomach was threatening to growl at the smell. I was immediately reminded that since joining the gang, I hadn't eaten very well. Now, my mouth was practically watering at the smell and sight of the perfectly made food.

Cristina grinned happily at us. "Will you be needing anything else?"

Percy smiled at her. "I think that will be all. Thank you Cristina."

Her grin widened, and I saw a dazed look on her face as Percy smiled that swoon-worthy smile of his. She blinked, snapping out of her daze. She nodded and left, carrying the empty tray and the wooden fold in tray as well.

When she was gone, I turned back to my food. Poseidon and Percy had already started to devour theirs, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at their manners. Shrugging, I began to eat my salad. I almost groaned at the taste, my stomach sloshing happily at finally having food inside of it. It had the perfect amount of everything. I closed my eyes in bliss as I ate, and heard a low chuckle resounding next to me.

I opened my eyes to see Percy smiling amusedly at me. "It's good right?"

I nodded instantly, continuing to eat the salad as if it was the last one on Earth. Poseidon cleared his throat, breaking me out of my bliss.

He smiled kindly at me. "Have you talked to your mother, Ms. Chase?" He asked, his tone light.

I slowly set my fork down, straightening absentmindedly. "I...I haven't talked to her since last Friday. She said she'd come visit or call, but she hasn't." I said slowly, my heart aching longingly. I never thought I'd miss my Mother. Whenever I was on tour and didn't have time to see or talk to her, she never crossed my mind. But now, I was longing to call her. To see her intelligent gray eyes reassuring me that everything would be fine. To hear her soothing, yet sharp voice telling me to calm down. To hug her.

Poseidon glanced at Percy, who was watching me with furrowed eyebrows. Poseidon sighed. "Well, Athena's a busy woman. I'm sure she'll call you soon. If she doesn't, just tell me. I'll make sure to give her a call myself."

My eyes flickered up to meet his. He had a genuine, kind smile on his face. I nodded slowly. "Ok, thank you."

Poseidon nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the ringing of a phone. He grumbled something under his breath and reached into his coat pocket to take out his phone. Not bothering to look at the caller ID, he swiped his finger across it, bringing it up to his ear. "Yes?" He said in a bored tone.

There was muttering on the other side, and Poseidon's eyes widened. He sighed, bringing up his other hand to put his thumb and index finger on either side of his temples. "Yes, yes fine," he snapped, his dark green eyes flashing in irritation. "Yes, I'll be there soon. Make sure the others don't do anything stupid, or you're all fired." He warned, his shoulders tensing.

More muttering on the other side and Poseidon sighed. "Fine, yes. I'm on my way." He clicked his phone off and gave us an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Something came up at the office, and I have to go settle it before my co-workers sell some of my boats to another company, whom I've never discussed with."

Percy sighed in a way that made me think this happened often and nodded. "Alright Dad. I'll call you later."

Poseidon's eyes furrowed in concern, but he nodded. "Just put the food on my tab," he said. He turned to me and stretched out his hand towards me. "It was nice talking to you Ms. Chase. I hope to finish our discussion some other time?" He said, rasing an eyebrow.

I nodded, shaking his hand. "Of course, Poseidon."

With one last nod, he left. Percy was quiet after he left, sipping his soda absentmindedly. I didn't say anything, not wanting to say something that might make him mad. So instead, I began eating the rest of my salad.

We ate in comfortable silence, our eyes glued to the food in front of us. Finally, I couldn't stand it. I set down my fork, the movement causing Percy to freeze and look at me. I looked at him carefully. "Do you...do you and Poseidon ever discuss the matter with your mom?" I asked hesitantly.

Percy's eyes shifted to his plate of food, his green orbs turning dark with sadness. He shrugged helplessly. "My Dad always finds a way to excuse himself from the discussion. Even if I do try to bring it up, something about his work comes up and he has to leave. Other times we're both too busy as to call and say a simple hi. Besides, it's too hard to talk about. We never found her body, so we didn't have a funeral for her. We simply gathered family and close friends over to say a few words, but that was it." He said, his voice turning quieter as he spoke the last sentence.

I instantly regretted asking him that question. _Way to go Annabeth, now you made him sad._ I hated seeing him look so helpless and lost and broken. I wanted to hold him. To comfort him. To tell him that I'd always be there for him. But I can't. That'd be showing him that I have feelings for him, which I most definitely do not.

Instead, I said, "We never had a funeral for my brothers and Dad either. We found no bodies as well. We did just what you and your father did."

Percy raised his head to look at me, a sad smile on his face. "What were your brothers like?" He asked gently, his green orbs locked with mine.

I laughed softly. "They were amazing. I mean, they could be really annoying sometimes, but what siblings never are? We'd spend the whole day playing. We made up a lot of games, and sometimes just played old ones. They'd follow me everywhere. I could never go anywhere without them being right on my tail. But I was grateful for that. I was no longer alone." I said, a wistful smile on my face.

Percy smiled, the action causing a fluttering feeling in my stomach. I pushed the feeling away instantly. _Must be the food._

Percy was silent for a while, and after about a minute he looked at me questioningly. "It just occurred to me that I've never asked you this before but...why did you decide to become a model?"

I resisted the urge to wince. I hadn't wanted him to ask me this. This brought back so many memories. Memories that could cause me to break down any minute.

I settled for a safe answer. "Well... I've always loved the camera. Ever since I was little I'd love to be in and take pictures. Besides, as I grew older people always told me how beautiful I was. How I had the looks of a model. So, I looked into it and found out that I really liked it."

Percy nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "I can see that. And what did Athena think of it? Since you know, she wanted you to run the company when it was time."

I sighed. "She wasn't really on board with the idea at first. But then I told her how I could manage both things, and if I could get someone to take a picture of me and make the picture introduced everywhere, then I'd become a model. So, she agreed and let me. It wasn't really hard finding someone to take that picture of me. I had done some research on people who could make girls or men become models, and I found someone. They took a picture of me, and soon enough it was everywhere. And that's how it all started." I explained.

Percy nodded, a soft smile on his face. "Those people were right about you being beautiful, Annabeth. No lies there. You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever met."

A soft flush crept up my cheeks, and I looked down at the table. The fluttering feeling in my stomach seemed to have erupted, and an overwhelming feeling washed over me. Then I realized something.

This is how _he_ made me feel. And what did that feeling tell me about how I felt towards him? That I liked him.

So that means...

My eyes widened, panic rising up my chest. I squeezed my eyes tightly as images flashed through my mind. My heart beat fast, my breathing turning irregular.

No, no, no. I can't... I don't...

 _Yes you do,_ said a voice inside my head.

I like Perseus Jackson.

I abruptly stood up, the chair screeching across the floor, tipping over behind me. It crashed to the floor, and I winced as the sound brought back images through my head.

Percy looked up at me in alarm. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" He asked, his eyes scanning me, trying to figure out why I was acting like this.

I shook my head frantically. I quickly gathered my purse, already feeling the familiar sensation of tears burning in my eyes. "I-I have to go." I said, swinging my purse over my shoulder.

Percy stood up as well. "Annabeth, why? What happened?"

I shook my head so hard, I felt like my neck was going to break. "Percy, I have to go."

He quickly rushed over to me, his hand grabbing my arm. "Annabeth, what's wro-"

I pulled back harshly, tears already streaming down my face. "Percy don't touch me! I have to go. Goodbye now."

And with that, I ran out of the restaurant, Percy screaming my name behind me.

* * *

I ran out, my curls bouncing crazily around me. I wiped at my eyes furiously, but it was no use. It was like water leaking through a dam, and I couldn't stop it.

I ran to the nearest street, looking around frantically for a cab. I spotted one and waved it over. I got in, slamming the door behind me. _Where will I even go?_

"Take me to the nearest hotel. And fast." I ordered the cab driver, the waver in my voice clear.

He nodded and sped off, The Mince getting smaller and smaller behind us.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I watched as Annabeth ran off, screaming her name. But it was no use. She didn't even look back.

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. What happened? What'd I do to make her run off like that? All I did was call her gorgeous.

I froze. Why would that bother her?

But most importantly, why did _I_ say that?

I felt someone tap my shoulder, and I turned to see Cristina staring at me, her expression determined and kind. She nodded towards the exit. "Go after her. Don't worry about paying. I got it."

I hesitated, then nodded, smiling at her gratefully. "Thank you," I said, and then ran out of the restaurant, our food forgotten on the table.

* * *

Once I was outside, I looked around frantically, trying to spot some golden curls.

And there she was.

I saw her getting into a cab hurriedly, and then speeding off.

" _Fuck,"_ I cursed silently. I ran to my car and quickly turned it on. I pressed on the gas pedal, not bothering to put my seat belt on.

 _I have to go after her. She wouldn't go back to HQ. I have to follow that damn cab._

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

The cab stopped in front of a tall building, it's lights illuminating the whole street. It read, **Hotel Villa.** I quickly paid the cab driver and got out hurriedly.

I walked to the front desk, ignoring the tears plastered on my cheeks. The lady at the desk was kind enough, and with a little talk, she gave me my room keys. Thankfully, she had somehow failed to recognize me, and soon enough I was running inside my hotel room, slamming the door behind me.

I flung myself on the bed, being stupid enough to not lock the door behind me. I cried into the matress, sobbing uncontrollably as memories seeped into my head. They kept coming and coming, as vivid and real as if they were happening right at this moment.

I heard the screams. I saw all the faces. I could feel how I had felt. Everything was so vivid. So damn real.

I can't like Percy. He called me gorgeous and beautiful. That's what _he_ had called me, and I had fallen in love with him. Now because of those simple words and feelings, my whole life was turned upside down.

I can't let that happen again.

A soft knock was heard on the door and I froze.

I already knew who it was.

I said nothing, simply kept my face buried in the matress.

My heart beat wildly in my chest as I heard the door squeaking open softly, and I felt as if my face was glued to the matress. I heard the soft pitter patter of feet making their way closer to the bed, and I stiffened instantly. I clung to the sheets as I felt the bed dip hesitantly, wanting to just be absorbed by the matress and never have to face this cruel world again.

"Annabeth," I heard Percy say softly.

I winced at his tone. "Percy go away," I said into the matress, my voice muffled as I spoke, so it came out more like, "Ary go abay."

I felt a hand rest lightly on my arm and I flinched, immediately sitting in the bed, my eyes burning with tears. I grabbed a pillow. "Percy, I said go away!" I cried, flinging the pillow at him.

The green-eyed man didn't even as so much flinch when the pillow made contact with his chest. He simply crinkled his eyebrows in soft concern. He reached out hesitantly, his eyes pleading. "Annabeth please. Tell me what's wrong." He said, his tone soft and desperate.

The sound of his voice made me want to break down wailing all over again, but I restrained myself from doing so. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to cry. I wanted to tell Percy what was truly going on. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to fade away from this world forever. I wanted Percy to hold me and say everything was going to be ok, when in reality, it's not.

My shoulders shook as a loose sob broke through, and I snatched up another pillow and clutched it to my chest. My whole body shook as I cried, my curls fanning over my face. I wailed loudly, not caring if Percy was watching me anymore. I needed to cry. To let it all out. To not care who was watching. People never care anyway.

Memories flooded through my mind, increasing my sobs and wails. He hurt me. He ruined me. He did the worst thing anyone could ever do. He _messed up my life forever._

The screaming. The crying. The shouts for help. The thrashing. The forcefulness. The grunts. The cries. The tearing away of cloth. It was all so real. So vivid.

 _That happened to me,_ I thought, screwing my eyes shut as another choked sob filled the silent room.

I could feel Percy's eyes on me, simply watching me silently. I could tell he was desperate to find out what was wrong with me. Why I was crying like this. But he said nothing. Simply... watched.

I was grateful for that.

After about ten minutes of crying, I seemed to calm down. But not enough. My whole body was shaking violently, and I couldn't stop it. It was as if I'd just been electrocuted. My whole body convulsed wildly, whimpers escaping my mouth here and there.

Percy scooted closer to me. I immediately recoiled. He looked at me pleasingly. "Annabeth, what's wrong? Please, tell me." He begged, his eyes searching me for answers.

I shook my head vigorously, choked cries coming from my throat. "Percy, I-I c-cant." I stuttered, screwing my eyes shut.

"Why?" He whispered.

I opened my eyes to look down at the matress, my body swaying back and forth. "Because the memories are too horrible." I said, my voice so soft, I almost didn't hear it myself.

But Percy seemed to have heard, because he moved closer to me. Unfortunately, I had run out of space in the bed to move away from him, so I sat there, my eyes continuing to pour out tears.

"Annabeth, please. Tell me why," Percy said, his voice so sincere and gentle, I almost broke down crying all over again.

 _Just tell him,_ a voice inside me said.

 _I can't. He'll judge me so much for it. Besides, I'll start crying more worse than before if I actually talk about it. I've never talked about this to anyone before. Not even my own Mother._ I argued.

 _It doesn't matter Annabeth. Percy's different. He'll listen. He won't judge you. Just tell him,_ the other voice reasoned.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply and slowly, tears continuing to trace my face. I stared at the matress as I spoke, feeling Percy's eyes on me.

"I...I had first fallen in love with a guy named Tristan Williams," I began hesitantly. This story wasn't so bad, but it still left me heartbroken. "We had met when we were nineteen years old. Four years ago. We had first met when we had both gone out to grab some ice cream at the same place. He had bumped into me, and had immediately apologized. I remember my breathing catching when I saw his beautiful brown eyes shining with happiness and concern as he looked at me. He seemed so friendly and gorgeous, so we started talking that day. He had come with his friends to the ice cream shop, but he had ditched them to talk to me. We had hit it off pretty well, and exchange numbers before it was time for me to go. We started hanging out more and more, and I found myself starting to fall in love with him. He seemed so nice. I couldn't resist. We were now dating, and I had never felt so strongly about someone than I had with him. He was...amazing, as I had thought then. But after a month of dating, I remember going out to get some food somewhere, and found him making out with this other girl in front of the place I was headed to. I was shocked, immensly hurt, furious, heartbroken, sad. I recall going up to him and the girl, pulling her away from him, and slapping him across the face. I had spat, 'we're done,' and left."

I paused, swallowing thickly. "After I had gotten home, I had cried my eyes out. I had never felt so hurt before. I had loved him, and he had betrayed me and cheated on me. I knew then that I would never feel the same way towards men ever again."

I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing that I was getting to the story of the man I hated most in this world. "I had cut off all connections with Tristan, and never heard from him again. I has finally began my modeling career at twenty years old. I had managed to go two years without saying any man, and I decided that maybe that's just how I'll always be. No dating whatsoever. But then I met _him."_ I swallowed another lump forming in my throat, the sound resonating through the room. I opened my eyes, blinking away tears.

"One of my colleagues had thrown a party, and I had been invited, so I went. I was having a great time, dancing, talking, and just hanging out with other people, getting to know them. While walking to the kitchen, I had bumped into this man. I had almost fallen backwards, but he had swiftly caught me. Our eyes had locked. Blue on gray. He was so handsome. He had given me a charming smile, pulling me back up. I had smiled back at him. 'You're Annabeth Chase right?' he had asked. 'The supermodel?' I had responded with a polite nod, and he had grinned at me. From there, we started talking. We had danced together, and I found myself enjoying this handsome man's company. He was funny, clever, kind, honest; the sort of traits any girl would want in a guy. He had offered to give me his phone number before I left the party, and had accepted it. He turned out to be the CEO of this major company, and I had returned my phone number.

Right the next day, he had called me. I had answered, and we spent half the day talking over the phone, having a friendly conversation. He was so easy to talk to. So funny. So nice. He had proposed we meet the next day to do something, and I had agreed. So the next day, we went out for a movie. We had a great time, and I was really starting to like him. I was a little careful though, still heartbroken from my incident with Tristan. I would sometimes reserve myself at some of the questions he asked me. He seemed to have noticed, because he asked me what was wrong. I had thought this man was trustworthy and kind, so I told him shot what had happened with Tristan.

He was so sincere about it. He said that he'd never do anything like that to me, and how a girl as beautiful and wonderful as me didn't deserve something like that. He claimed to have liked me a lot, and he asked me out. I had agreed, because this man made me feel safe and other things that made me feel as if I was walking on air."

I shook my head. How could I have been so stupid? Why hasn't I been able to see past his facade? I was so busy making myself think that he was so much different than Tristan. That this man actually, genuinely liked me. I was an idiot.

"We dated for about half a year. He made me feel like I was the only girl in the world, as cliche as that sounds. I found myself falling in love with this man, and I ignored any warning thoughts about him breaking my heart, because he didn't seem capable of doing something like that. I told him I loved him. He said it back to me. He'd kiss me before we parted ways and would whisper those three simple words to me. ' _I love you,'_ he'd whisper, with such sincerity and earnestness I found my heart fluttering wildly in my chest. I believed him. Whenever he'd look at me, his blue eyes would shine with love and adoration. Everytime we'd schedule a day to meet, I'd find myself anxious and desperate to see him. I'd long for him to wrap his arms around me. Say that he'd be with me forever and never ever break my heart or leave me. I believed him."

My voice cracked at the end, and I felt an overwhelming feeling rising in my chest. Tears flooded down my face. _Here it comes._ I didn't look at Percy once as I talked. If I did, I'd break down in shame and regret. Even though I want looking at him, I could feel his gaze burning into me, his eyes never leaving my face.

"That all changed one night, when we went to another one of my colleagues parties. She'd invited loads and loads of people, some even not from this country. I had been with him the whole time. I never left his sight. I had noticed that over the past few months, he'd changed. He'd become more possessive, protective, hostile, and I had noticed more than once that whenever we'd see each other, his eyes would turn hungry, and they'd run over my body. I chose to ignore this however. I didn't know what I was thinking doing that. I'd simply shrugged it off."

My tears hit the matress continuesly, a never ending turrent of puddles and droplets over water.

"He had had one too many drinks, and had gotten himself drunk. His words would slur together when he talked, and while we danced, his hands wandered in places that I was definitely not ok with. I had brushed it off as him doing this because he was drunk. I managed to slip away with him to go to the bathroom. I needed to be alone for a little. But when I came back, there he was, dirty dancing and making out passionately with another woman, a blonde. I was shocked. I hadn't felt like I did when I saw Tristan with another girl. I had felt pure shock. He had managed to lift his head up, and his eyes landed on me. They had widened, and I chose the moment to flee from there."

My body shook slightly as I cried. Why had I been so stupid? How could I have been so stupid? I was _such an idiot._

"I didn't have a car, since I had come with him, so I walked the way home to my penthouse. I felt numb. I couldn't think clearly. When I arrived home, I simply fell asleep, not changing out of my party clothes or anything. I just wanted to forget about everything and everyone.

The next day, I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I hadn't bothered to look at the caller ID, and I answered it. I had regretted it. It had been him calling. He was apologizing over and over again of how sorry he was. He claimed to have been too drunk, and had thought that woman was me, with the blond hair and all. He kept repeating over and over how he loved me and only me. I knew that I still loved him, even after what happened last night. I had forgiven him.

We continued being a happy couple for three more months. We still loved each other. But something had changed. He was definitely being more possessive and bossy towards me. He began calling me names when I did something wrong. Stupid, pathetic, ugly, disgusting. Those were the names he called me. The more he called me them, the more I started to believe them. I felt the size of an ant soon enough. I believed he was right about me. I was stupid. I was ugly. I was pathetic. I had started questioning why people ever said I was gorgeous, intelligent, wise. I was none of those things. At least, according to him I wasn't. So I believed him, because I loved him.

One day while we were at his house, we were watching TV. He had told me to go get a beer for him, and I did. I had grabbed it from the refrigerator, and once I closed the door shut, I had screamed and dropped the beer bottle, making it crash to the floor in pieces of glass, the liquid spreading across the floor. There had been a spider on the refrigerator door. I hated spiders. I _hate_ spiders. Ever since I was a little girl I've been immensly afraid of them. Everything about them scared me. Their long legs. Their beady eyes. Their strange bodies. The swift and quick way they crawled against any surface. It terrified me."

My voice shook at the end, and I clutched the pillow so hard against my chest, I was sure I could absorb it.

"He had come running into the kitchen, and when he saw the mess I made, he was angry. And when he had asked me why I dropped it, I had nodded towards the spider. His face had twisted into a cruel sneer, and he went over to the refrigerator and grabbed the spider. I remember screaming and backing up until I hit the cool counter of the kitchen island. He walked closer to me, the spider still in his hand, it's beady eyes fixed on me.

I was terrified. I had started crying. He brought the spider closer to my face, so close I could see my own scared reflection in it's black eyes. "Are you scared of this Annabeth?" He had asked me. I had said nothing. I was shaking now, I couldn't breathe. It was so close to my face. It could spring at me any second. And here he was, the man I loved, holding my worst fear in front of my face.

"Touch it," he had demanded, his voice calm but steely. I had shook my head vigorously, but my eyes never left the monster's body. " _I said touch it,"_ he had spat. I had begun to sob uncontrollably. I remember pleading him to stop and kill it, but he would not move it away from me. I had slid down to the kitchen floor, and covered my face with my hands. Then, I felt something settle on my shoulder. I had opened my eyes to see the big, black, hairy monster standing on my shoulder, it beady eyes staring right at me. I had screamed and cried, instantly smacking the thing away from me. I heard him laughing, as if me being scared to death amused him. I didn't know who he was anymore."

My voice cracked so much as I spoke, I had to swallow at least five times to calm down. My body shook silently as I cried, and Percy still said nothing. Simply listened quietly to my story.

"I had come to know that he was super bipolar. Sometimes I would see the man I fell in love with, but he would change to a monster just as quickly. I didn't know what to think of him anymore, and I was an idiot for not dumping him any sooner.

One day, he had invited me to come over to his apartment house to just hang out. I had agreed, not thinking much of it. When I arrived however, I had found the door unlocked. I opened it and stepped in. His place was pretty big, and I figured he was in his room. So I began calling his name, and when I stepped through the doorway to his room, there he was. Shirt thrown on the floor, along with a woman's. They were kissing extremely heatedly on the bed, and I remember whispering his name.

He had looked up, and when he saw me, threw the girl off of him. I was heartbroken. He had said he'd never do anything like that again, but there he was. The girl had quickly grabbed her shirt, and run out of the apartment.

He just stood there, watching me. Fury boiled inside of me, and I wanted nothing more than to give him a good slap across the face. Instead, I had tried to run out the door. But he had somehow managed to run to the door and block my way out of his room, his shirt now on. He would not let me out, no matter how much I begged him to. He said it was a mistake. He said he didn't mean to. I didn't believe him this time. I wouldn't believe any shit he told me any more. I told him I saw him with her with my own two eyes. She obviously hadn't forced himself on her. He seemed to have enjoyed it.

I tried to push him out of the way. He had closed the door behind him, and started walking towards me. His expression had changed. The pupils of his eyes were blown wide. My fury had turned into fear. The way how he was looking at me... I was terrified. As he walked towards me, I walked backwards. I told him to stop, to let me out. He wouldn't listen. Instead, he said, "Come on Annie. Let's have a little fun before you leave.'"

Tears started flowing out of my eyes in heavy drops. I choked back a sob. I squeezed my eyes shut, remembering the look on his face clearly. I dug my fingernails into the pillow, almost ripping through the fabric.

"He started unbuttoning his shirt. He discarded it on the floor. I had pleaded him to let me out. In response, he had shoved me against a wall in his room, and began kissing me. I was crying. I was pounding my fists on his chest to let me go. But it was like trying to get a grizzly bear off of you. He would not budge. He started lifting my shirt over my head, no matter how hard I tried to keep it on. With a firm grip on me, he began leading me towards the bed. He threw me on it, and pinned my wrists down. He positioned his body in front of me, in a way where I had no chance of escape. I was screaming, sobbing, pleading for help. Someone, anyone. But no one came."

The last sentence came out in a whisper. I choked back tears and sobs. My chest was heaving. My heart felt as if it would burst out of my chest. It was too horrible. Everything.

"He kisses and sucked every inch of my body. I don't think there was a place in my body where his mouth did not wander. He took of my clothing. Piece by piece. He took off his next. And then- and then..."

A loose sob made me break off. My body shook violently as the images popped into my head. Everything was so clear. My eyes squeezed shit, so tightly I thought they might become glued together. I cried and cried, rocking back and forth, the pillow clutched tightly against my chest. I felt the bed shift, and then I felt two arms wrap around me. I was too shook to try and move away, so I let him embrace me. He pulled me close, gently removing the pillow from my arms to press me right against him. I cried into his shoulder, clutching his shirt tightly in my hands. He stroked my hair silently as I cried.

"He raped me Percy..." I sobbed. I dug my face deeper into his shoulder. "He raped me." I whispered.

Percy continued to stroke my hair soothingly. He smelled like the ocean breeze, the scent making my heart rate slow down and my breathing calm down.

"As he did it, I felt myself go numb. I stopped screaming. I stopped moving. I felt so helpless, Percy. So, so helpless," I whispered.

Percy held me tight against him. I could feel his heart beating in a steady pace. The room was filled with the sounds of my whimpers and sobs. Percy didn't say anything, and I was grateful for that. He was letting me cry my eyes out. He was letting me pour it all out. It felt so good to release the tension of that horrible night. It felt so good to talk about it to someone. It felt so good to have Percy embracing me and stroking my hair, keeping silent the whole time.

"Ever since that night, I've been so traumatized. I can't stand letting a man get as so much as an arm's length close to me. The fear of them trying to rape me like he did is so strong," I whispered, my eyes closed. "I still dream about that night. The dreams are so real. I feel like I'm reliving that whole night all over again. It's horrible. Absolutely horrible."

Percy continued his administrations, burying his face in my hair. I wrapped my arms around him, letting my face relax against his shoulder.

"What was his name?" He whispered.

I shook my head, wincing. "I swore to never say his name ever again. I don't even want to think of that horrible man's name." I sighed heavily, my breath coming out in broken bits. "I swore to never love a man ever again."

Percy said nothing to this, simply holding me.

We kept the silent embrace for who knows how long. The only sounds that were heard throughout the room were the sounds of choked sob that managed to escape from me, my sniffles, and the steady sound of Percy's heartbeat.

"I was in love once too," Percy said, his voice soft and gentle, breaking the silence in the room. "Her name was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. We had met two years ago, while I was looking for a guy I had to kill. I was running through the streets, and she had just come out of a store. I had crashed smack into her, and sent her tumbling to the floor. I hadn't bothered to help her up. I was too busy trying to catch that guy. As I ran away from her, I heard her screams and curses she shouted at me. I ignored all of that."

I heard Percy chuckle softly. "I never thought I'd see that girl again. But I did. I had been out with Reyna, Leo, and Bianca. The girls wanted to just hang out at the mall, and forced Leo and I to go with them. We had spent the day just wandering the place, and when we stepped into the last store of that day, I heard a girl screaming. I wasn't sure what she was screaming, but it was something like, 'Hey! You're the bastard that pushed me and didn't help me up!' I had turned, and saw the girl from the other day standing right in front of me. Her emerald eyes were blazing with anger. But I wasn't paying much attention to what she was yelling at me for. I had been busy staring at her. She was beautiful. She had fiery red curls, sharp green eyes, and freckles covering her face. I thought she was gorgeous. When she was done, I just stared at her blankly. That made her even more mad. 'Were you even _listening_ to me?' she had yelled.

Then her whole face had went slack, and she paled slightly. She had begun stuttering, finally realizing who I was. 'You're- you're Percy Jackson,' she stuttered. I had regained my composure and stretched my hand towards her. 'Yep,' I had admitted, grinning at her. 'And who may you be?'

She had stared at me in amazement and shook my hand firmly. 'Rachel,' she said. 'Rachel Elizabeth Dare.'

I had thought the last name Dare seemed familiar, but I shrugged it off. After being introduced, we had struck up a conversation. She seemed funny, smart, and enthusiastic. I found myself liking her company. We had exchanged numbers, and parted ways.

The next day, I had called her. I couldn't get her out of my head. Everything about her captivated me. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she formed her words. The way her eyes twinkled when I said something stupid."

Percy's movements slowed down a bit more as he stroked my hair, but he continued to do it. I rubbed circles on his back soothingly as he spoke, encouraging him to continue.

"We found ourselves hanging out literally everyday. I did something that wasn't forbidden in the gang. I brought her to our HQ house. I never showed her HQ exactly, but it was risky bringing her there. I didn't care. I just wanted to spend time with this girl. The others warned me to be careful, but I ignored them. I started slacking on our missions. I stopped calling my Dad to see how the business was going and if he needed me to do anything. My world seemed to revolve around Rachel and only Rachel."

Percy shook his head softly. "That was stupid of me. So stupid. Jason was now struggling to remain control of The Olympians. He was basically the leader then. This made him nervous. He couldn't manage the gang all on his own. He talked to me about it, and I realized my mistake. I started to pay more attention to the game and send them on missions and check in with my Dad. I still found a way to spend most of my day with Rachel however. Soon enough, I had fallen in love with her. She fell in love with me as well. We were inseperable.

One day, while at HQ, Rachel and I were watching TV in the living room. My Dad had decided to pay me a surprise visit. When he walked into the room, his face had turned to a look of astonishment. His eyes had darted from me to Rachel, and sayed on Rachel. Then, in a terse voice he had told me that he wanted to have a word with me in the kitchen. I had followed him, confused of why he was acting so strange.

When we went in, he had immediately turned to me. 'Perseus,' he had said, his eyes incredulous and stern. 'Do you know who that girl is?'

I was confused, and responded with a simple no. My Dad had sighed. 'She's the daughter of the owner of Dare Enterprises, the biggest rival of Olympus Enterprises at the moment.'

My confusion had turned to irritation. 'So?' I had asked, not seeing the point of why he was acting like this.

He had just sighed and glanced at the door behind me. 'Just...be careful,' he had warned. And without another word, he had walked out of the house.

I had shrugged off his warning, and continued to spend time with Rachel. After two months of dating, she started acting weird. She started asking me questions about the company. I had been stupid and answered her questions truthfully. That's what most of our conversations seemed to lead up to. She seemed to only want to talk about Olympus Enterprises, asking me questions about it. I had been an idiot and not thought much of it."

I felt something warm hit my head, and I realized Percy was crying. He was so silent. His voice didn't waver as he spoke. I also thought it was something else and he wasn't even crying. But he was.

"Thalia, Reyna, Jason and Nico were suspicious over Rachel. They didn't like her that much. Whenever she came over, they'd find some random excuse and leave the house. They'd tell me how it wasn't such a good idea to be bringing her to HQ, but I didn't listen to them. I soon became angry at them for acting this way towards Rachel. She had done nothing wrong. I didn't understand why they were so sketchy of her. But I soon found out why.

She had asked me what Olympus Enterprises did to get so much attention and how they were able to sell so many of their boats, ships, hotels, and gain more as well. I had told her, saying that they had a special contract that ruled over other companies and said that the more they sold, the more they gained. She had seemed extremely satisfied with the answer. The next day, she had come over to HQ. She had been acting weird that day. She wasn't as enthusiastic as she always was, and her eyes had shone with regret. By the end of the day, she told me why.

Before she left, she told me the truth. She said she never loved me. She said she was using me to get information from Olympus Enterprises, to help her dad's company. All of her feelings towards me had been fake. She never loved me."

My eyes widened, and I hugged Percy tighter against me. More drops of water fell on my head, but I didn't mind. If Percy say silently through my crying fest, I'd sit through his.

He stroked my hair. "All of it was a lie Annabeth," he whispered softly.

I brought my hand up to stroke his hair. I held him close, burying my face in his shoulder. "Oh Percy," I whispered.

Percy sighed softly. "I never saw her again. Thalia was furious. She wanted so bad to go after Rachel and kill her. We all had to keep her under lock and key to prevent her from leaving the house. If she ever did, one of us went with her.

I was brokenhearted. I felt numb for about a month. No girl's ever made me feel so stupid and broken before. I and loved her, but she never returned the feeling. She used me. I had sworn from that day that I would never love another girl again." He said, his voice barely audible.

I threaded my fingers through Percy's soft hair, gently massaging his scalp. I felt so relieved to have told Percy my story. I felt as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and I was now free. Percy hadn't said he was sorry, and I was grateful for that. I didn't want him to say sorry. If he did, I would've felt as if he felt pity towards me, and I didn't want pity from anyone. I just wanted them to listen. Listen to what happened to me. What made my world turn upside down. What scarred me for life.

Percy listened. He had replied to my story by telling me his own. I now understood why he had that broken look in his eyes. Why he seemed to always be scowling. Why he was so moody. Some part of me wanted to make him forget all about what broke him. I wanted to make him happy again. I wanted to _be there_ for him.

Now I know why I felt this way.

There's no denying it.

I pulled back gently away from him, letting my hands fall to my lap. New tears started swelling in my eyes. They weren't of sadness. They weren't of joy. They were of fear.

I looked Percy in the eye as a single tear slid down my face. His eyes were full of deep concern, sadness, brokenheartedness. My breath came out in broken sighs. Tears continued to slide down my face, and I was sure it was all blotchy and red, but I didn't care.

"Percy," I whispered, not breaking eye contact. "I...I like you...and that terrifies me." I said softly, my voice barely audible, I almost didn't hear it myself.

Percy's eyes crinkled in a way I didn't know how to decipher. His whole face softened. He reached forward and pulled my into another hug. I instantly wrapped my arms around him as well, my whole body feeling numb. Percy's hand stroked my hair and then other one clutched me flush against him.

"I...I like you too Annabeth. But the thought doesn't terrify me. I don't know exactly how I feel about it, but it just feels so right. I like you Annabeth Chase," he whispered gently into my ear. "I like you."

My heart fluttered against my chest, and I was sure Percy could feel it too. Yet that fear still lingered inside me, no matter how much I wanted to feel that rightness Percy felt.

"But Percy," I started, my voice wavering.

Percy pulled back, holding my face between his hands gently yet firmly at the same time. All the sadness was gone from his eyes, replaced by a gentle kind of determindness. He kept his eyes on mine as he spoke, his mouth twisting into a soft smile. "Annabeth...I would never, ever do anything like those bastards did to you. I know you've heard this before, but I mean it. I don't want you to feel scared by the idea of liking each other. I swear on my life that I will never hurt you. I'll protect you from anyone that comes near you. I will kill anyone who dares touches you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or scared. I like you Annabeth, and I don't want you to feel scared of that. I want you to feel right about it. I would put your life in front of mine any day. Annabeth Chase, I swear this. I swear that I will never hurt you, and never let anyone hurt you." He whispered, a soft earnestness to his voice.

My stomach churned pleasantly. I wanted to believe Percy so much. I did. And I knew I did believe Percy, with all my heart. I believe that he wouldn't hurt me. I believe he would kill anyone that tried to harm me. I believed his every word.

"But Percy...I'm still not sure. What if what you're saying is all a lie? He had promised me that he'd never hurt me, but in the end he did. What if that happens again?" I whispered, heavy tears streaming down my face.

Percy's eyes softened. He leaned closer to me, cupping my cheek with one of his hands. He was so close, I could see every speck of blue in his beautiful eyes. He smiled softly. "Maybe this will make you believe me."

And with that, he slowly closed the gap between us, our lips connecting softly.

* * *

 **FINALLY! I'VE BEEN WAITING _FOREVER_ TO WRITE THAT SCENE!**

 **This has definitely got to be my favorite chapter so far. I absolutely loved writing everything about it. I was so giddy writing the whole thing, I couldn't stop smiling. So many dam feels, I can't even.**

 **Howd you guys like it? Thank you to all who support me, you guys are my everything ((: I love you all.**

 **And, I just finished reading the first book of The Mortal Instruments series, The City of Bones. Can I just say...wow. I loved it. And I freaked out about that part about Clary and Jace finding out they were...you know. I don't wanna spoil it. I was literally crying )): I shipped them right from the start, and then they give me that shit? Why...? Why, why why?**

 **ANNABETH CHASE'S BIRTHDAY IS ON WEDNESDAY YOU GUYS! YAYYYY! If you guys can, write Wise Girl on your wrist, wear something gray, and join me in singing our favorite daughter of Athena Happy Birthday at 7 PM on Wednesday ((:**

 **And wow...Over 10,000 words for this chapter 0-0 can't believe I had it in me... But you're welcome for the extra long chapter guys! :DD Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did, and sorry for any mistakes in this.. I'm super tired. I'll edit it sometime tomorrow or Tuesday ((: I promise.**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	21. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Im so happy to see that so many of you got feels from the last chapter. I sure did. I couldn't wipe the stupid grin in my face as I read all of your reviews. You guys are amazing ((: I'm excited for this chapter.**

 **But first, I'mma take a moment to recognize all of my amazing, awesome, fabulous reviewers ((:**

 _ **Shilcow:**_ **Thanks! And yep, she totally did ((: Here's the next chapter for ya!**

 _ **Mabi5:**_ **Thanks! And ikr? It's my favorite chapter so far too. And I know. From the first time Clary and Jace talked, I was already shipping them so dam hard. And _phew._ I was so fucking mad when I read they were related. But thank you for telling me that. Now I won't have to go raging on about it to my friends and sister XD Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy ((:**

 ** _Legna314:_ So glad you loved it! Here's the next chapter :D**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im glad you loved it! I loved the ending too! Here's the next chapter. Go crazy for it XD**

 _ **PaL14:**_ **Im glad it gave you those feels! Who doesn't love getting feels? And I've been waiting to _write_ that scene since I started this story! And I'm so glad to hear that my story raised your spirit, that means so much to me! I hope you did awesome on your exam ((: And thank you so much for your other reviews on my two other stories, _Roses_ and _I don't wanna see you here again._ Both of your reviews made me grin so much, my cheeks were starting to hurt. And I mean, who doesn't love a sassy Percy and a bad-A Annabeth once in a while? I love reading AU's about her being like that. And about Katie trying to keep the smile off her face, I certainly couldn't, and I'm glad you couldn't either! Thank you so much for your support. I really, really appreciate it ≤3**

 _ **SlytherinPotato15:**_ **The feels are so much right now, I can't even. And thanks! Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy (:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you so much! You have no idea how proud and ecstatic I am to have over 100 reviews! And yes, those feels got all of us. And uh oh, don't go passing out on me there XD I'm pretty sure I got high blood pressure just writing that chapter XD We can't help it. And yes, I was sad writing about their stories as well )): but don't worry! Now they have each other for comfort (: And thanks! I'll try my very best! :D**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Thanks so much! And OH MY GODS YES! I DONT HAVE TO FREAK OUT ANYMORE. PHEW. But that does make sense that he was raised by Valentine. Nasty lying piece of shit -_- but thanks!**

 _ **Nathan556:**_ **Your comment made me laugh for some reason XD but thank you for that! I need a good laugh once in a while. I love to laugh ((: and thank you so so much for all your support. Really appreciated ((:**

 **_MichellePJOHOO: Happy_ late birthday then! Hope you had a wonderful time! I sang Happy birthday for you as well ((: and thank you so much! :DD**

 _ **WiseGirl3443:**_ **XDDD Thanks! I'll do my very best to please you all! And thank you so much for saying that this is one of the best stories you've read. It made my day ((:**

 _ **Snoopycool1:**_ **Thanks! I will!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im glad you loved it! Hope you love this chapter as well! And yes, PERCABETH ≤33**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im so so happy to hear that! Thank you so much! And don't worry, I will do everything in my power to finish this story. It has become my life goal, and to please all of you (: Hope you like this chapter!**

 ** _KELP-HEADED-IDIOT:_ Thanks you so much! I'm glad you love it! Hope you love this chapter as well! (Love your user btw XD)**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Yay! Thank you for joining me in singing Annie a happy birthday! And you're so welcome. Thank _you_ for supporting me since the beginning. It means a lot. And that's what my friends always tell me about how much I write XD when I'm excited about something, it gives me extra energy to finish that task early ((: I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Alright guys, and for this chapter, well the beginning at least, I suggest you listen to a song named Storm by Ruelle. I swear on the River Styx, it'll alter the feels to 118% The song is so beautiful, and it fits with the beginning part if the story. So if you can, please listen to it while reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own nada**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Our lips softly connected, and I instantly knew, that I believed Percy.

The kiss was...

Every single word that describes _amazing._

I felt as if there was a swarm of butterflies dancing around in my stomach. I felt as if there was a good hot pressure rising in my chest, and I couldn't breathe. I felt as if there was magma churning in my stomach, making me feel so queasy, I wanted to throw up. But it was in an extremely good way, if that makes any sense.

But overall, as we kissed, I felt all my sadness and negative feelings wash away, replaced by an angelic type of feel.

The kiss was slow, yet passionate. Percy's lips were soft and sweet and salty all at the same time. He gently cupped my face with both hands, and I found my own two hands hesitantly traveling upwards to snake around his neck.

I hadn't felt like this in a long time.

The feeling was almost new to me.

And that just made a giddiness rise up inside of me.

Percy made no rough, demanding, or heated moves to alter the kiss. He kissed me gently, carefully, respectively.

That made my heart swell with a bubbly feeling.

Percy pulled apart gently, his face still centimeters away from mine. He looked into my eyes, a questioning gaze in them. A soft smile danced on his lips. "Now do you believe me?" He asked quietly, his eyes never leaving mine.

A gentle smile spread across my face. "I've never been so sure about believing someone ever before."

Percy's eyes twinkled, and this time I leaned in to close the little gap between us, not being able to contain myself.

I felt those feelings in my chest and stomach rise up again, a million sparks arcing through my body as if I'd been struck by lightning.

I didn't want that feeling to ever end.

My fingers played with the soft hairs at the nape of Percy's neck, while his hand gently caressed the back of my head. I was pulled flush against him, and I could feel his heart thumping against me, the steady rhythm and beat the only sound throughout the room.

Percy tentatively deepened the kiss, but not doing it in a way that made me want to stop immediately. He was being so sweet. So considerate. So gentle.

It made my heart soar.

But I knew one thing though.

I was still sworn off love.

I don't think that would ever change.

* * *

A realization hit me, and I slowly pulled back, my hands still wrapped around Percy's neck. His green eyes were twinkling, and he was smiling gently at me.

I smiled back at him, my heart aching. But not of sadness. This time it was different.

It was aching of happiness.

I looked questioningly at him. "How'd you know I was in this hotel specifically?"

Percy smiled sheepishly, his eyes never leaving mine. "When you ran out of the restaurant, I ran after you. I saw you getting into a taxi, and I got into the car and followed it."

The corner of my mouth lifted up in a smile. "And how'd you manage to find my room?"

Percy smirked. "I might've bribed the lady at the front desk to telling me what room you were in, and to let me come up here."

I laughed softly. "That can't be safe. This hotel needs a new person at the front desk. One that doesn't give a complete stranger information just because they bribe them."

Percy scoffed softly, yet his eyes shone. "I am not a complete stranger. Everyone in America knows who I am."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. Percy smiled back, moving his hand to tuck one of my curls behind my ear. He leaned in to give me a sweet, soft peck on the lips.

I smiled when he pulled back, not believing that this man, Percy Jackson, also Riptide, leader of _The Olympians,_ could be so sweet towards me. Never in my life would I ever think that a laser of a gang, the most wanted one in the country, mind you, could ever be so gentle, when he kills people for a living.

But I didn't mind.

I slowly unwrapped my hands from Percy's neck, letting them fall on my lap. My eyes glanced down at them, a sudden thought hitting me. "Percy...what now? What are we?" I whispered softly.

"Hey," Percy said gently. He grabbed both of my hands in his, causing my eyes to flicker up to meet his. They shone with a look of concern and determination, with a soft twinkle to them. He squeezed my hands gently. "We'll figure it out. Don't worry. I don't think I'll ever love you Annabeth, I can't do that again. But what I _do_ know is that I want to be with you. You make me feel what I haven't felt in a long time. I don't want to lose that feeling." He said, a reassuring smile on his face.

I don't think I'd ever love Percy either. I didn't want to. Not because I didn't like him, but because I was too scared to ever fall in that trap again. I'd learned over the past years that to love is to destroy, **(who knows this reference? (; )** which is what those two men did to me. And I didn't want to destroy Percy like that again. He doesn't deserve to be hurt like that, but I know that I can't love him. I won't love him.

But Percy was right. He made me feel happier. Like my life wasn't so fucked up. I didn't want to lose that feeling any less than he did. We would be ok.

Percy peered into my eyes, his hands still cupping mine. "Alright?" He asked tentatively.

I smiled softly at him. "Alright."

Percy smiled and gave me a soft kiss on my forehead, my whole body warming up by just that simple action.

"And now where to?" Percy asked me quietly.

My smile widened, and I brought my hand up to brush some of his hair to the side. "Home," I responded softly.

Percy smiled at me. "Then let's go home."

* * *

The ride to HQ was overall silent, but it was the comfortable kind. It was mostly filled with secret glances Percy and I stole one another. His eyes shone an emerald green in the moonlight, outshining his sharp jaw and making him look paler.

Percy's eyes flickered over to me, and he smiled. He reached over and took my hand in his, giving it a little squeeze. I smiled softly back at him, when a random thought hit me.

My eyebrows furrowed quizzically. "Why do you guys call Thalia Pinecone Face?"

Percy snickered, steering the wheel with a single hand. "We were having a fight with another gang, and we so happened to be near the woods. This guy Thalia was chasing went further into the woods, and she followed him. He had snuck up on her out of nowhere and had thrown a pinecone at her, momentarily distracting her. That didn't work very well, cause that just pissed off Thalia even more. He was dead before the pinecone even hit the floor," Percy explained, a mischevious twinkle in his eyes. "But it was sure as hell funny seeing Thalia's blank face once the pinecone hit her. The guys and I have been teasing her about it ever since."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Quite a family dynamic you've got there."

Percy smiled, and turned his head to look at me. His eyes shone warmly. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "And now _you're_ part of that family as well."

My heart fluttered in my chest, and I moved our hands up to my face to kiss Percy's knuckle. He smiled at me, and I returned it.

Then, a realization hit me.

I did not feel scared.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

Annabeth had fallen asleep after about ten minutes of driving.

I looked over at her, my heart warming at the sight of her sleeping. Her hand was still tightly curled around mine, and her head was lolled to the side, her curls falling all over her face. Her chest rose and lowered itself at a steady pace, the only sound in the car being her soft breathing.

I smiled, reaching over to brush her hair gently out of her face. Annabeth mumbled incoherently and lolled her head to the other side, so she was facing away from me. I chuckled softly, bringing her hand up to give it a light peck.

I felt a buzzing feeling inside of me, a warm tingle traveling from the top of my head, down to my toes. I loved the feeling, and I didn't want it to end. But I knew that Annabeth was the only one who could bring me this feeling, and I was grateful for that.

Annabeth had opened up to me, and I'd gotten to see a side of her that no one else ever saw. Her broken side.

My whole heart had ached with sadness when I has watched her cry and shiver violently, as if she was standing outside in the middle of a snowstorm with nothing but shorts and a tank top. I had wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms as she clutched that pillow and sobbed. I wanted to tell hey that everything was fine. That she was safe now. But I knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She didn't want anyone to say anything. She wanted me to listen. And I did.

I had felt that familiar feeling in my gut whenever I hunt down someone to kill them. Hate. That's what I had felt as Annabeth talked about the two bastards that ruined her love life and life in general. How could anyone do that to Annabeth? How could anyone hurt such an amazing girl like her and cheat on her? It has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.

If I can find this Tristan Williams guy, I will not hesitate to _kill him._ It had took everything in me not to punch the hotel room's wall when Annabeth talked about the man that raped her. The guy deserved to go to hell, but Annabeth had refused to tell me his name, and I didn't want to push. But if she ever did tell me his name, the bastard will be dead by the time she finishes saying his last name.

I clenched the wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white. Annabeth didn't deserve that. Because of those bastards, she couldn't stand to be within five feet from a guy. They both scarred her. Ruined her life. And I was determined to make it all better.

* * *

About ten minutes later, we had arrived at the house. I killed the engine and turned to look at Annabeth. She was still heavily asleep, her breathing slow and steady.

I smiled and got out of the car, making sure to close the door softly. I walked over to her side and opened the door. In one swift movement, I lifted her up in my arms, bridal style. I didn't want to wake her up, because she looked so peaceful and deserved some rest. Something told me she hasn't getting much sleep.

I reached into the car and grabbed her purse as well, and slammed the door shut. The noise caused Annabeth to stir in her sleep, mumbling quiet words. I smiled down at her, and then started walking towards the house.

I managed to get to the front door, and pulled out the house keys from my pocket. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping inside. I quietly closed the door behind me with my foot, the sound causing an echo to travel through the silent house.

Almost immediately,I heard footsteps coming from the living room and the hallway. Thalia, Jason, Piper, and Bianca appeared, looking relieved.

Thalia opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by me putting a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet. She raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms. Then, her blue eyes flickered to Annabeth's sleeping body, and her expression softened.

"I'm gonna go take her to her room. We'll talk when I come out," I said quietly. They all nodded, small smiles on their faces.

I nodded at them and then headed upstairs to take Annabeth to her room.

I silently pushed open her door, and walked to her bed. I carefully set her on it, and then started to pull back the covers. Once that was done, I took off her boots, setting them down on the floor quietly. I picked her back up and set her under the covers. I gently pulled the cover her, and she sighed in her sleep and turned over, so she was facing me, getting comfortable.

I smiled softly at her, lightly stroking her soft cheek with my hand. I tucked one of her curls behind her ear, watching her sleep peacefully. I bent down and kissed her temple, and when I pulled back, there was a sleepy smile on her face, making me wonder whether she was awake or not.

Chuckling softly, I walked towards the door. I pulled it open, and gave one last glance at Annabeth, the smile in my face not being able to fade. I stepped outside and closed the door quietly behind me.

I walked downstairs, knowing already where the others might be. I headed straight for the kitchen, and sure enough, they were all there. When I walked in, they all instantly stopped talking, turning their heads to look at me respectively.

I nodded my head at them and smiled. "Hey guys."

Thalia narrowed her eyes at me, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the kitchen island. "Where the hell were you? We were so worried someone might've ganged up on you. What happened?" She demanded, her blue eyes sharp and stern.

Nico nodded in agreement, studying me warily. "She's right. You said you and Annabeth would be back at around 11, and when you guys were a no-show, we started to worry. What happened?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Look guys, I'm sorry ok? My Dad had to go to his office to deal with some shit barely twenty minutes after he arrived. Annabeth and I stayed for about twenty more minutes, and she ran out because something came up. The rest I can't tell you guys. It's personal. But we're fine now. Nothing happened. I'm sorry." I replied, leaning against the kitchen door with my arms crossed.

Piper and Bianca shared a knowing smile, and they both looked at me in understanding. "It's alright Percy," Piper said. "We understand."

Bianca nodded, the smile not wiping off her face. "Yeah, and besides, Jason's got news for you."

I looked at Jason, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was currently scowling at the floor. He didn't seem to have been paying attention, and I was starting to get uneasy at the thought of what he had to tell me.

Piper rolled her eyes at him and snapped her fingers in front of his face, breaking him out of his daze. The scowl on his face remained when he turned to look at me. "Zeus called. Says that he made business with some guy, but the man sold out Zeus's business plans to the public. Now, he wants us to go and kill the guy."

Ah, that's why he's scowling. He talked to his father.

I shrugged. "And whats the guy's name?"

Thalia wrinkled her nose. "Mark Evans or something like that."

"And where is he located?"

Jason sighed. "He's in Chicago right now on a business trip. Staying at a hotel there."

I mentally groaned. We had barely been in L.A for half a week, and now we have to go across the country again?

I sighed and shrugged once more. "Alright, whatever. We'll deal with the rest of this tomorrow. All of you get some rest. We'll talk in the morning."

* * *

 _"Come on Percy! It'll be so much fun!" she said, a bright smile on her face, the shining sun illuminating her every freckle._

 _I rolled my eyes but grinned. How could I say no to her? I held my hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Let's do it."_

 _She grinned happily and grabbed me by the shoulders to turn me around. When my back was facing her, she didn't hesitate to quickly jump on my back and wrap her arms around my neck as well as her legs around my waist. I gripped the back of her thighs and grinned over my shoulder. "You comfortable?"_

 _I could practically hear her smile, and she nuzzled her head into my neck, her red curls tickling my cheek. "Yep," she responded, her voice muffled._

 _"Alright then," I said, and began jogging down the street. With every step I took, she giggled and laughed, the sound warming my heart._

 _I slowed down slightly, then halted to a stop, making her lurch forward. She laughed as I sped forward again, and then abruptly stopped. I repeated the same process over and over, until she was laughing hysterically._

 _We walked around for hours, her still perched on my back. We walked through the park. Through the streets. Through the mall. Basically everywhere. The whole time, my arms nor back never got tired of holding her. I felt as if I could carry her for weeks nonstop and never get tired._

 _I finally stopped at a nearby bench, making her hold on me loosen as she jumped to the floor. Not waiting for a second, I spun around and gripped her from her mid-back. She gasped in surprise as I spun her around, her curls looking like rays from the sun. Her surprised gasp quickly turned into laughter as I twirled her around crazily. "Per-Percy! S-stop!" She gasped between laughter._

 _I grinned and gently set her down. The whole world seemed to be spinning and twisting, but just staring at her made all that vertigo go away. She stumbled slightly, and my arm instantly shot out to catch her. She laughed softly, her emerald eyes shining brightly as she stared up at me._

 _She leaned up and planted a soft kiss on my lips, making every bone in my body seem to melt. She pulled back gently and stared at me, the shine from her eyes never leaving. Yet I noticed something else in them. Regret and...sadness?_

 _She smiled at me, making those thoughts fade away just as quickly as they came. "I love you Percy," whispered Rachel._

I jolted awake, my heart racing wildly. I was sweating all over, my body feeling sticky with sweat. I closed my eyes to calm my heavy breathing, but I couldn't seem able to.

I had dreamt of the day before Rachel had broken up with me. I had been so happy to be with her that day. Everything had gone perfectly fine that day. Everything.

It was the day after that ruined everything. Including my love life.

I shook those thoughts away, trying to calm my beating heart. It took about two minutes to compose myself, but when I did, I decided I couldn't go back to sleep. I knew I'd have those dreams again, and I didn't want that.

I sighed, through the covers off of me, my body sticking to the sheets. I leaned over and picked up my phone from it's nightstand, clicking it on to see the time. 7:30 AM.

The others didn't wake up until around eight-thirty. I climbed off the bed and went to my closet to pick out some clothes. Already knowing what I was going to do, I picked them out and changed quickly. Not bothering to make my bed, I headed downstairs.

* * *

I opened the door to the training room, shutting the door behind me after I stepped in. I flipped in the lights, and the whole place lit up, making every detail of the room visible.

I smiled at how familiar everything looked, and went over to where the punching bag was. I was feeling too stressed right now. Annabeth, my Dad, the new targets, having to go to Chicago probably by tomorrow, Rachel. I needed to release that tension.

I put on some hand gloves and walked over to the bag. It was simply swinging there. Staring at me. Mocking me.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I was dreaming of being on a boat.

It was odd. I was out in the middle of the ocean. In the middle of nowhere.

The boat I was in was small. Made to contain about two people max. I felt as if I was rocking back and forth. Swaying along with the boat. I felt relaxed. At ease. As if none of my problems ever existed.

I wish I could feel like that always.

The boat continued rocking back and forth, me along with it. The sways became more consistent. I found my relaxation wavering, turning to alarm.

" _Annabeth,"_ I heard a voice say. It sounded feminine and familiar, but that didn't help the panic that was rising in my chest.

I looked around frantically, trying to see who was saying my name. But I found no one. I couldn't see anything for miles and miles. No matter how hard I looked, I seemed to find endless ocean and endless sky.

I was alone.

All alone.

The rocking became more like pushes. I found myself gripping the edges of the boat to keep from falling off. " _Annabeth,"_ the same feminine voice hissed.

The boat gave one last strong lurch, and I fell off, deep into the ocean water.

My eyes flew open.

I turned to see Bianca shaking me awake. Her hand gripped my shoulder, and she continued to sway me back and forth.

She noticed my now open eyes, and her black orbs lit up. "You're awake!" She exclaimed, releasing her grip on my shoulder.

I didn't answer, simply started to sit up. It wasn't until I glanced down at my hands that I noticed that I was clutching the bed sheets so hard, my knuckles were white. I instantly released my hold on them. I rubbed my sore hands together, the tension from holding the sheets making my hands feel stiff.

I sighed, running my hand through my tangled mess of curls. I froze. I don't ever remember coming up to my room last night. What happened?

Bianca must've seen the look of confusion on my face, because she smiled at me. "Percy said you passed out in the car ride, and he brought you up to your room." She explained.

At the mention of his name, my body seemed to warm up. An unknowing smile crept it's way onto my face. Bianca's smile seemed to widen, and she gave me a wink, letting me know she knew _something_ was going on.

I didn't know how to feel about that.

I gave her a questioning glance. "What'd you wake me up for?"

She grinned at me, her dark eyes sparkling happily. "Breakfast is ready."

* * *

 **Ok first off, I'm so sorry for updating this chapter kinda late. I've been so busy with summer school and everything, I just haven't had time. But don't worry, that problem will be fixed. Only two more weeks left of summer school anyway, and then I'm free...for two more weeks.**

 **Second of all, I feel...eh about this chapter. Sorry it's so crappy. I'm really tired. But hey, this gave you a break from all those feels from the last chapter, right? And I'm so so sorry this ones so short. I feel horrible about that. But I felt like this was a good place to stop. Don't worry everyone, the next chapter will be more exciting and longer. They're going to my home city! Yay!**

 **Please don't hate me for this chapter )):**

 **~Kat**


	22. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! So, I don't know why, but I feel absolutely horrible for the last chapter. I mean, I enjoyed writing it and all those Percabeth moments were everything and you all seemed to still love it but... Idk. I guess I feel so bad about it being so short, but I'll make it up to you all with this chapter! I hope you guys like it!**

 **And I love every single one of you guys. Here is recognition to my amazing reviewers. You guys are awesome.**

 _ **Bookfangirl445:**_ **Yes, Percabeth is finally here. You can all relax...for now 0-0 Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

 _ **OrangeOwls:**_ **Yep, that reference is from The Mortal Instruments ((: Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Shilcow:**_ **Thank you so so much! I'm so happy to hear that. Hope you like this chapter ((:**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Yes! It is from The Mortal Instruments. I love Clace as well ((: hope you enjoy reading this chapter!**

 _ **Ren:**_ **Im so happy to hear that! That means so much to me, so thank you (: And thanks! There will definitely be more song suggestions later on (: I love Ruelle, so they might just be more of her songs.**

 _ **WiseGirl3443:**_ **Thank you so much (: You're kind words make my day. I try my very best to please you all, and I hope this chapter pleases you as well (:**

 _ **Nathan556:**_ **Hmm...your suspicions are not wrong...so I'll just be vague about it and say maybe... And thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **AliKat90403:**_ **Yes, that reference is from The Mortal Instruments! Glad you knew that (: And yes, Simon is awesome ((:**

 ** _Meistar:_ Thank you thank you thank you! I will finish this story, so don't you worry. And hmm, you're right... I'll keep that suggestion in check the next time Leo goes on a mission with our fearless gang leader. But he will be setting things on fire, don't worry (;**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Thank you! And your wait is over, cause here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy ((: (and have I ever said how much I love your username?)**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Waits over! Here's the following chapter ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Yes! Fangirling is my favorite hobby. I'm glad to hear this story is making you feel that way, and thank you so much ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **To the one who said not to doubt myself, thank you (: All of us have our doubts, but people like you help wash that feeling away, so thank you ((: I hope you love this chapter as well! ≤33**

 **Important news at the end of this chapter, so make sure to read it please! Thank you all, I love you guys ≤3**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to Uncle Rick**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

Breakfast was... interesting, to say the least.

It was filled with secret smiles Annabeth and I kept shooting each other, and the sympathetic vibes shooting off from one another. I kept remembering what she had told me the night before, and it made me feel so angry. I found myself clenching my napkin so hard my knuckles would turn white every once in a while. But I forced myself to relax, and not think about what those pricks did to her. It wasn't worth it. She was fine and safe now...as safe as you can get being in a gang, that is. But no one would be hurting her. Not under my watch.

The others caught on soon enough to our weird behavior. Piper and Bianca kept smiling at each other knowingly, their eyes shining brightly. Thalia would chew her food slowly, her electric eyes darting between Annabeth and I continuesly, as if we were having a tennis match. Jason and Leo would shoot me incredulous looks, while Nico simply raised an eyebrow at both of us. Reyna had a faint smile on her lips, and she'd shake her head every once in a while.

Finally, Thalia was fed up with the silence. She slammed her hand on the table, making everyone jump in surprise. Leo was so startled, he choked on his food. Reyna, who was seated next to him, rolled her eyes and smiled amusedly at him. She patted his back helpfully as he coughed and spluttered.

Thalia ignored this, and narrowed her eyes at Annabeth and I, yet they were twinkling with a look I couldn't decipher. "Alright, what's going on? You guys keep smiling at each other all stupidly, and you haven't said a fucking word to any of us. What's up with you guys?"

Annabeth and I glanced at each other, and the talk from yesterday immediately came rushing back. I forced the thoughts away and shook my head at Thalia, a smile dancing on my lips. "Nothings wrong, Pinecone Face. We're just remembering our talk with Poseidon yesterday, that's all." I lied smoothly.

Thalia scowled at me. "Don't call me that," she hissed. I raised my hands in surrender, a smirk on my lips.

Jason set down his fork, his eyebrows knitted. He looked at me questioningly. "What _did_ he say, Perce? You never told us."

I sighed and opened my mouth to say something, when Annabeth cut me off. "Poseidon just wanted to know how things have been going for me in the gang. I told him. He asked me if I'd spoken to my Mother, which I haven't since my interview. By the way," she turned her head to look at me. Her gray eyes were cloudy. "When are we returning to New York?"

I sighed again and set down my napkin. "Well, it's hard to say. Some things have come up, and we have to leave tomorrow to Chicago. I'm not sure when exactly we'll return to New York," I explained.

Annabeth's eyes flashed with longing, and I immediately felt guilty. She wanted to see her Mother. She wanted to talk to her. To have some more reassurance. And I don't know how long it'll be until she sees her again.

"Which reminds me," I said, pushing myself out of my chair and standing up. "Meeting in HQ after breakfast. Leo and Reyna, you're on dish duty."

* * *

Five minutes later, Jason, Nico, Annabeth and I were downstairs.

The others had stayed to help out putting away the dishes and cleaning up the table. I was currently clicking away on the TV, which was flashing pictures of Mark Evans.

I narrowed my eyes at the screen. He looked familiar. I had a vague memory of seeing him at one of Olympus Enterprises' banquets. The guy had seemed nice and polite enough, yet there was something lurking under his facade. Something that had caused my eyes not to leave his figure the whole night.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and I glanced over to see Annabeth there, her eyes locked on the screen above. They flashed uncertainly. "Is that him?" She asked.

I nodded, my grip on the control tightening. "Yeah, Mark Evans. Another major in owning airplanes and air travel vehicles. Zeus and him had often made business. But the guy went behind Zeus's back and gave out some of his private information." I explained, my eyes now focused on Annabeth.

She looked so beautiful, it made all my anger wash away, replaced by a dazed feeling. She nodded and looked at me, her eyes and face expressionless.

I didn't want to accept that. I wanted to be able to know what she was feeling. Whether mad, sad, happy, I wanted to know.

Ever since yesterday, the protective feeling I'd had over Annabeth since the day I met her had grown. I found myself not wanting to let her out of my sight. I found an overwhelming desire to kill anyone that might ever look at her. I needed to tone those feelings down. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't if someone ever crossed the line with her. No one is hurting her. _No one._

Finally, Annabeth smiled at me, and all those feelings disappeared, as if they had never existed. She leaned up and gave me a kiss, and when she pulled back, I smiled at her. Her eyes twinkled with calmness, and I was glad to see that the regret and sadness and heartbrokeness were gone. The latter was still lurking in there, but it wasn't outshining her other feelings as before. I was glad.

"Percy," I heard Nico call behind us. I turned around to see him scowling at his phone. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered me since he's always scowling, but this time it seemed more serious. I walked over to him, Annabeth trailing behind me.

"What?" I asked, placing my hands on the table and leaning forward. Jason walked over as well, his eyes inquisitive. Nico's eyes darkened.

"Says here that Evans has an assistant. He's been giving Zeus's information to him. The assistant, whose name is Jayden Harris, would leak the information on the internet. Other company owners would see that information and use it for their own good, making their companies more successful," he explained, his eyes flashing with slight irritation and anger. His eyes met mine. "That means that if that information continues to leak, other companies might start making their way to the top, and soon kick out Olympus Enterprises."

I let that information sink in. I felt the familiar feeling of anger wash over me. I clenched my jaw and hands. " _Son of a bitch,"_ I spat, raking a hand through my hair. This would be bad. Very bad.

Annabeth rested a hand on my shoulder, her eyes glinting earnestly and with concern. "Don't worry, Percy. Everything's going to be fine. Once the others are here, we'll see what we need to do. Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly at me. "Nothing is going to happen to Olympus Enterprises."

I felt my body instantly relax, and I felt all those tensed up emotions disappear, all because of that beautiful smile. I smiled softly at Annabeth. I took her hand and gave her knuckles a soft kiss. "Alright," I said, my eyes not leaving hers.

They glinted with please, and she gently retracted her hand and walked over to sit down in a chair. I felt someones eyes on me, and I glanced over to Jason and Nico watching me. Nico looked jaded, yet there was a questioning glint in them. Jason was giving me a, _what the fuck?_ look, yet there was a small smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, my voice low. Nico narrowed his eyes at me and gave me a slap upside the head, and before I could snap at him, he walked over to his regular seat. Jason rolled his eyes at me in exasperation and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the knocks on the steel door.

We turned to see the others walking in. Piper flashed us a smile, and Jason's exasperated look disappeared, replaced by a love-struck grin.

Everyone sat down in their regular seats, yet I remained standing. My eyes flickered to each one of them, who were watching me silently and expectingly.

Giving them all once last look, I wordlessly grabbed the control off the table and shifted so I was half-facing the TV and half-facing them. I clicked it, and immediately the screen showed a picture of Mark Evans. He was a man in his late thirties, with neatly trimmed brown hair, cocoa skin, and coffee brown eyes.

"Mark Evans," I announced to everyone. Instantly, all their eyes narrowed, except for Annabeth, who studied the picture of the man with a cold kind of interest.

I clicked again, and the image changed, switching to a picture of him and Zeus grinning at each other like old friends and shaking hands. "Evans is, or should I say _was,_ a friend of Zeus'. Often made business with him, since they both run the same field. But, Mark decided to be a motherfucking dumbass, and share out Zeus's private information of his field to the public. But, Nico found some more news for us." I raised an eyebrow at him for him to share out the information he found.

Nico nodded, a sort of hungry and irritated look flashing in his eyes. Normal look for my gang members. "Evans has an assistant. Jayden Harris. Evans would give that information to Harris, and he would leak it out to the public," he explained. Nico's eyes scanned everyone at the table. "If that continues to happen, other companies might use that information to their advantage and use it to kick Olympus Enterprises out of business and power."

Thalia scowled, her eyes glancing back to the picture of her father and Mark. "Zeus is such an idiot," she muttered. "He shouldn't have shared all that fucking information."

I nodded in agreement. "Well, in his defense, when I met Mark, he seemed like a pretty trustful guy. I wouldn't blame Zeus for giving him that information. But still, there was something about that man that struck a nerve with me."

Thalia's eyes flashed angrily, and everyone absentmindedly inched away from her. "Daddy Dearest is too blind with all his money to notice shit, and now we gotta take care of it." She spat, her electric blue eyes flaring.

No one said anything to her about this. We all knew better than to speak to her when she was like this. The last time someone did, they ended up with a broken arm. I smirked at the memory, but Piper's voice cut off my thoughts.

She frowned. "So we have to kill both of them?"

Jason nodded. "They both know too much. If we were to just kill one of them, the other would still have a lot of information to pass on."

I nodded at Jason. "He's right. We'll have to kill them both separately, because I doubt they'll be out in public together. Mark might just transfer that information to Jayden via email or text."

Annabeth frowned in thought. "I don't think they would be passing that information online. It just doesn't seem right, or make sense. They might just be conferring with each other somewhere public. It'll be easier to take them down if they're together."

Reyna nodded. "She's right. We'll have to watch him to see where they meet up, or just do a little digging online."

Bianca's eyes narrowed. "I don't think it'd be right to kill them out in public. Surely, wherever they go must be a pretty well-known place. I know we'd be wearing disguises...but still."

Leo tapped his fingers on the table in a rapid motion. "And how would we get them to some place secluded?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed intelligently. "I have an idea. Two of us, by which I mean girls, will...how should I put this? Flirt with them. They'll persuade the guys to take them both to one of their apartments, but so the two men are together. The girls will send Percy or Jason the address. They'll distract the men u til the others get here and... well, they'll die," she suggested, her hands folded on the table.

I smiled at her, glad to see her actually proposing ideas in something that involved killing two men. Besides, her plan was good.

I nodded at her. "That's a good plan. It could work."

Jason bobbed his head as well, but raised an eyebrow. "And who will the two girls be?"

"We'll figure that out later," I said, clicking the _off_ button on the remote to shut off the TV. "For now, meetings dismissed."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jason and I were in the training room, sparring with each other.

We were both sweaty and out of breath, but we kept going at it. I'd already disarmed him five times, while he'd barely managed to disarm me twice. He was determined to accomplish this at least four times.

Jason hacked at me with his sword, but I quickly parried his strike and sidestepped. Both our shirts were already discarded on the floor, the result of them being soaked through with sweat.

Jason swung his sword above my head, but I instantly ducked and rolled to the side. He slashed at the spot where I'd once been, but I managed to roll again.

I jumped up as his sword came down on me, and I thrust out. Jason swiftly sidestepped and slashed his sword at me. I blocked the strike, and with a quick flick of my wrist, I twisted the sword and sent Jason's skittering across the floor.

"Nice," he panted, running a hand through his sweat-gleaming hair. I nodded at him, heading over to grab my water bottle. I uncapped it and thirstily gulped it down.

Jason walked over to retrieve his sword, as he picked it up, he said over his shoulder to me, "So what's up with you and Annabeth?"

My throat seemed to close up, and I spluttered and coughed, caught off guard by his question. He raised an eyebrow at me, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. "Dude, you all right?"

It took me some seconds to calm back down, and when I did, I carefully set down the water bottle. I shot him an inquisitive look. "What are you talking about?"

Jason rolled his eyes at me, his eyes flashing with annoyance. "Dumbass," he muttered. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he simply sighed and looked at me as if I was stupid. "You and Annabeth have been giving each other looks all day. You both have been smiling at each other, which I find weird since Annabeth's always looking depressed and glaring at you as if you killed her puppy. And don't think I didn't catch you giving her hand a kiss and Annabeth giving you a peck as well. Are you guys a couple now?"

I smiled at the thought of her, but quickly shook it off and shrugged. "If that's what you think we are, then sure. Call us a couple. We've simply grown closer since the talk we had yesterday," I said indifferently. As I remembered our talk, my hands clenched involuntarily, thinking about the motherfuckers that messed with Annabeth.

Jason raised an eyebrow and smiled teasingly. "Close enough to be kissing each other?"

I rolled my eyes at him, yet the corner for my mouth trembled slightly. "Whatever man. Let's just continue working on me kicking your ass, since it's all we've been doing."

Jason's eyes glinted challengingly. "It's gonna be _me_ doing the ass kicking."

I snorted. "Yeah, ok."

Jason narrowed his eyes, yet a grin danced on his lips. Without warning, he slammed his blade into me, sending me stumbling backwards. I composed myself and chuckled, rolling my shoulders. "You wanna play dirty? Let's play dirty."

I slashed at him, and he quickly parried the strike. He swept his foot under me, trying to knock me over, but I immediately jumped, hacking my sword at Jason. He ducked and rolled over, and managed to kick me the second I landed on the ground. I fell, and he quickly pounced on me. His blue eyes turned electric with determination, and I smirked. He thought he had won.

I don't think so.

My legs tucked under me, I kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling off of me. Grinning, I stood up and rolled my neck. Jason stood up as well, and swung his sword at my head.

I swiftly ducked, and swung my foot under him, catching him off balance. Once again, he crashed down to the floor, his sword flying out of his hand. He groaned as he hit the floor, and I instantly pointed the tip of my sword to his neck. Smirking, I said, "Whose the dumbass now?"

Jason scoffed and rolled his eyes, yet he smiled. "You still are, you oblivious ass hat."

I chuckled and was about to say something about when the door to the training room swung open.

Jason and I both turned to see all the girls entering the training room, Annabeth included. I blinked, surprised to see them all. Even as they neared us, I did not remove the sword pointed at Jason's neck. He too, seemed surprised to see them.

Piper smiled at us. "Hey guys,"

I nodded my head at her, my eyes flickering to the other girls wearily. They were all wearing smiles, even Thalia, which made me think they wanted something. Annabeth was smiling as well, but it was a smile of interest. I smiled involuntarily at the sight of her, but I quickly turned my attention back to Piper.

"What's up?" I asked slowly.

Piper glanced at Jason, who was staring at the girls carefully. Her eyes flickered to the sword in my hands, and she raised an eyebrow. "Ok first off, " she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Can you not point that thing at my boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled, and removed the sword. I held out my hand for Jason to take and hoisted him up.

Thalia wrinkled her nose. "And can you dumbasses put on some shirts as well?"

I raised an eyebrow at them all. "Not until you tell me what you guys want."

Bianca smiled sweetly at us, her white teeth on perfect display. "What makes you think we want something?"

Jason snorted. "First off, it's weird to see you all come in here at the same time. Second of all, you're all smiling, including Thalia, which is a little suspicious and a very weird, rare thing to see."

Thalia instantly flipped him off, to which Jason just snickered. Piper pouted. "Fine. We just wanted to ask you guys permission to go somewhere," she admitted.

I narrowed my eyes. "Go where?"

Bianca smiled. "To the mall."

Jason and I instantly glanced at each other. We didn't usually let the girls go out places. It was risky, even if they were wearing disguises. Someone might jump them or start a fight with them, or harass them, just like what happened to Piper. We only let them go out if either Jason or me are with them.

"Please?" Bianca begged, her expression desperate.

The girls wanted a break to get out. They never did.

But still...if something goes wrong and someone followed them...

I glanced at Annabeth, who was also wearing a hopeful expression. I could see why. A model needs to shop. Also, I couldn't say no to that face, but her going along with them also worried me.

I looked at Jason, who simply shrugged. "I don't see why not," he said.

I sighed and studied the girls. They all seemed to want to go. Desperately.

I sighed once again and narrowed my eyes seriously at them. "Just be careful."

Immediately, their faces lit up like a child's at a candy store.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Bianca said, surging forward and tackling me with a hug. Piper did the same to Jason.

Bianca instantly recoiled, holding her arms out in front if her with disgust. "Gross, Percy. You're all sweaty."

I smirked, but I immediately turned serious. "Listen. Do not hesitate to call me or Jason if something goes wrong. Be back by four thirty or so. I'm going to repeat myself. _Be careful."_

They all nodded enthusiastically. Reyna smiled at me. "We will, Percy. Don't worry."

I studied them all one last time, and then sighed. "All right, go."

They all practically bolted for the door, and I tried to remember the last time they had an actual outing to be this desperate and excited to leave HQ.

Annabeth had been the only one who hadn't ran. She gave me a reassuring smile and placed a hand on my cheek. My worries immediately washed away at just that small gesture. She leaned up and gave me a soft kiss. "Thank you, Percy," she said with a smile. And with that, she walked away.

As she headed towards the door, I couldn't help but feeling worried. Many things could go wrong. Someone might hurt them. Someone might follow them.

Jason recognized the troubled look on my face and placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. "Don't worry man," he reassured. His eyes flashed teasingly. "Besides, they have Thalia and Reyna. If _anyone_ tries anything, they'll do everything in their power to send that person to the hospital."

I nodded dazedly, relaxing slightly. He's right. They'll be just fine.

Later I found out, that I should have never let them go.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I've never seen the girls look so excited.

They were rushing around, trying to find their purse and get last minute things together. Thalia didn't bother bringing anything, saying, "I won't need it anyway."

Piper and Bianca seemed to be the most excited ones of all. Piper didn't strike me as the type of girl to be so happy about going shopping, but I just think she wanted an excuse to leave the house.

Reyna had talked to me about how they rarely ever left the house. It was risky. Someone might recognize them. They might get into a fight. Someone might follow them to HQ. I guess I understood that.

But the thought of them not being able to go out just for fun made me feel bad for them. Even if it was going to a place they didn't really like, they were still excited. Sure, they traveled all over the U.S on missions, but they never really get to enjoy the place they're at. They have a routine. Find. Travel. Kill. Travel again.

A thought occurred to me. Now that _I_ was in the gang, did that mean I wouldn't be able to go out once in a while either?

Thalia, Reyna and I were waiting in the front entrance of the house for Bianca and Piper, who had gone off to find us some contacts.

Thalia was wearing a black tank top with an electric blue lightning bolt running across from it. Her signature black leather jacket was swung carelessly over her shoulder. She wore black ripped up skinny jeans and black platform boots, which I didn't think was something a girl like Thalia would wear, but hey, a girl's gotta change it up once in a while, right?

Reyna wore a violet colored blouse that opened up in the back, so some of her back was on display. She wore black skinny jeans and purple colored stilettos as well. Her dark hair was loose for once, and was cascading down her back in beachy waves, pulled away from her face by a purple bandana.

I wore some high waisted denim shorts and an off the shoulder gray blouse. I wore gray wedged sneakers, and had my blonde hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. No makeup.

I heard distant footsteps approaching, and we all looked up to see Piper and Bianca coming down the stairs.

Bianca wore simple dark blue jeans, a baby blue colored tank top, and a black cardigan over the shirt. On her feet she wore baby blue colored flats, her raven hair pulled into a high ponytail. Piper wore ripped up faded light blue jeans, a loose red colored T-shirt and red Converse. Her choppy brown hair was loose, with little braids connecting at the back, red feathers braided into it.

Bianca grinned at us as she approached. She handed me some amber colored contacts, which I quickly slipped on wordlessly. She wore some blue ones herself, while Piper wore some tawny colored ones, making her dark skin glow. Thalia was handed some black colored ones, while Reyna slipped on some violet colored contacts.

"Alright ladies," Bianca said, grinning at all of us happily. "You ready?"

We all nodded in response, a smile on all our faces. Bianca sucked in a breath and shouldered her black purse. "Then let's go."

* * *

Bianca was quite the shopper.

Me being a supermodel, loved the mall and everything, but wow, Bianca makes a good example of the term, "shop till you drop," because I was definitely ready to drop.

I think we had stepped into every clothes store that mall had to offer. Bianca and I were mostly taking the lead in going to different stores, while Reyna and Piper looked mildly interested. Thalia simply complained the whole day.

"Ugh, _another_ store? How many of those are there in this fucking mall?" This was one of her most common complaints. Or, "you guys, my feet are killing me here. How much longer?" _Or,_ "I swear to God I'm going to kill someone if you guys don't hurry the fuck up."

Yeah, that's pretty much all we heard from her.

Sure, she bought a couple things as well, but they were mostly black, of course. She seemed more interested in Hot Topic than any of the other stores, but I could see why.

I lost track of what stores we had gone into, and only knew if we had ventured into a certain one by looking at the logos on our bags.

But also, throughout the whole day, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us. I found myself glancing over my shoulder every five minutes, and when I saw no one, I shook the feeling off, just calling myself paranoid. Besides, no one would recognize us in our disguises... right?

Right now, we had stopped to rest in the food lounge of the mall, eating Chinese food Reyna and Piper had ordered.

Reyna set down her fork and readjusted her bandana. "What time did we leave again?"

Piper furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "At about twelve thirty or so."

Bianca's eyes widened in surprise. "And what time is it now?"

Piper took out her phone and glanced down at it. She whistled softly and looked up at Bianca. "It's already four thirty."

Thalia looked up at the ceiling and groaned. "We've been in this fucking mall for _four hours?"_

I nodded, and suddenly my eyes widened as I remembered what Percy had said. "We better go you guys. Percy said to be back by four thirty."

Bianca's hand froze as it ran through her ponytail, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. "Shit, you're right. Percy will blow his lid if we're not back yet." She quickly got up and started gathering her things together, grabbing her plate to throw it in the garbage.

The others got up as well, hastily getting their bags and items together. Piper whipped out her phone. "I'll text Jason and say we're on our way home and to tell Percy this before he goes ballistic."

The others nodded in agreement, and once we had our stuff together, we bolted out of the mall before you could finish saying, "shop till you drop."

* * *

I've never seen the girls look so anxious and nervous.

Bianca kept muttering things under her breath, and I managed to catch a few words. "Oh God... He's gonna be so mad... We're dead...blow his fucking lid...never let us out again..."

Reyna gripped the wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her mouth was pulled into a straight line, her eyes and face expressionless as she steered us home.

Once the girls saw the house, they bolted out the car door, not waiting for Reyna to fully park it. Once she did, the girls were already inside. I glanced at Reyna, who said nothing. "That bad?" I asked.

She nodded, pursing her lips. "That bad."

* * *

Once we stepped inside, we were greeted by the sight of Percy leaning against one of the columns, his arms crossed over his chest, his face serious.

"We're sorry, Percy. We lost track of time. We're sorry," Bianca was currently apologizing. Piper and Thalia nodded in agreement, their faces hopeful.

Percy studied them for a bit, and his eyes glanced over to me. What I noticed, and surprised me, was that his green eyes were glinting with amusement. He subtly shot me a wink, and turned back to face the other girls, his face serious again.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. He was just playing with them. Worrying them over nothing. Bianca continued rambling an apology, and after two minutes of it, Percy couldn't resist letting out a chuckle.

Bianca froze, staring at Percy blankly. "So.. you're not mad?"

Percy laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not. I mean, nothing went wrong, so why should I be mad? Besides, I can't control the time you girls come back. After all, girls clearly have no sense of time when they're out in a place like the mall."

Thalia scowled at him and stormed towards him. She smacked his arm, her eyes flashing. "You dick, you got us worried over nothing."

Percy chuckled despite the dirty looks the girls were giving him. "It's funny seeing you guys get all pale."

The girls grumbled incoherently, and as they passed him, he was rewarded with a smack or a pinch from each.

I laughed at the sight and walked towards him. His eyes widened in alarm, and he wrapped his arms around himself protectively. He raised an eyebrow at me. "You're not gonna hurt me too, are you?"

I laughed again and shook my head. "No, I'm not." Percy grinned, and leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I smiled at the gesture, but then swiftly gave him a pinch in the arm. He yelped and jumped backwards, giving me a, "what the fuck?"look.

I smirked at him. "That's for cutting our shopping day short."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent doing nothing, mostly. All we did was train, shower, watch a movie, eat dinner, finish some chores, and then off to bed.

Today was a good day, overall, and I found myself enjoying spending time with the gang. They were fun.

So now, I was safely tucked away in my covers. I snuggled into them, enjoying the warmth that filled my body.

The door opened, and in stepped Percy. He gave me a soft smile, his eyes twinkling. I shut my eyes, pretending to fall asleep. I heard his footsteps coming closer to the bed. I felt the bed dip a little as Percy put his hand on it. He leaned forward to kiss my forehead, but right before he did, I turned my head so he was kissing my lips instead.

Percy's eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled against the kiss. A warm buzz traveled through my body, and I couldn't help but shiver at the pleasant feeling. Percy pulled back gently, and studied me for a while. His ocean eyes were twinkling, looking like the sea reflecting the stars. He brushed one of my curls behind my ear and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "Goodnight Annabeth," he whispered.

I smiled at him. "Goodnight Percy."

With one last smile, Percy left the room. And even before I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but feel that something was about to go horribly wrong.

* * *

It felt as if I had just closed my eyes to go to sleep, when I woke to the sound of fireworks.

I snuggled deeper into the bed, trying to ignore the sounds. _Shut the fuck up._

The loud bangs of the fireworks being set off continued, and I tried my hardest to ignore it and go back to sleep. But no sooner than five minutes later, someone was banging on my door.

I jolted up, crankily throwing off my covers to go answer the consistent banging on the door. I picked up my phone from it's nightstand and clicked it on. 1:47 AM. _Who the fuck is trying to wake me up at a time like this?_

The banging and sounds of fireworks continued, and I sluggishly went to answer the door. A fist almost connected with my face the second I swung the door open.

Percy stood there, his face angry and panicked. I was instantly alert. " _Percy?"_ I asked, my voice still groggy from sleep.

He gripped my wrists, and I resisted the urge to flinch. "Annabeth, where's your dagger?"

"In the drawer of my nightstand... why?" I answered slowly, a million questions and thoughts running through my head. "Percy, what's going on? Why are you waking me up at this hour?"

Percy glanced down the hallway, his expression still pissed. He glanced back at me. "Annabeth, go grab your dagger. _Now."_

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. "Percy, what's-"

"Just go!" He snapped. I blinked at him in surprise at his sudden outburst, but nonetheless went over to the drawer to get my dagger. I hurriedly walked back over to Percy, not bothering to ask questions anymore, even though I was dying to know what the hell was going on. I hated not knowing anything.

Percy grabbed my hand and pulled out something black from his back pocket. A gun. My eyes widened at why that thing was out, and only then did I realize that Percy was fully dressed. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black jeans, and had his bandana wrapped around his messy hair.

He pulled me down the hallway, and once we reached the end of the corner, he peered over it. Once he did, his head snapped back with lightning speed. He scowled angrily. "They're in the fucking house," he snarled in a low voice. My eyes widened in alarm. " _Who?"_ I hissed.

Percy didn't answer. He wordlessly cocked his gun and peered over the corner. He aimed it, and three bangs rang through the air. I wanted to smack him for being so vague about everything and not telling me shit, but another thought prevented me from doing so.

The sound Percy's gun made...it sounded just like the fireworks that had woken me up. My eyes widened in realization, and I wanted to smack _myself_ for being so stupid. _Oh God._

Those weren't fireworks.

They were gunshots.

I felt my heart race mile a minute. How could I have not woken up sooner? _I'm such an idiot._

Percy fired three more times, and once he was satisfied, he turned back to me, his face furious and serious. The expression made me almost flinch, but I restrained myself from doing so. "Annabeth," Percy said in a low voice. "We're going to have to make a run for it."

My eyes widened and I felt my breathing quicken. "What about the others?"

"Jason, Leo and Nico are downstairs fighting the other guys. Thalia's already on the plane, starting it. Bianca's on board helping her. Reyna and Piper are outside fighting the others. We're all going to regroup on the plane," he explained hurriedly. His eyes bore into mine. "Listen Annabeth. You step where I step. You do not look around. You keep your eyes on the back of my head. And most importantly, you _do not let go of my hand._ You hear me?"

I swallowed down a cold lump of dread forming in my throat, and I nodded, despite the questions swimming through my head like wild fish. Percy peered over the corner of the hallway, and nodded back at me.

And then we ran.

* * *

 **Can I just say that I loved writing this chapter? It** **was literally so much fun.**

 **What happened? Who are they fighting? Who got into the house? _How_ did they get into the house? Whose _they?_ I don't know...lol, yes I do.**

 **Ah yes, I'll be doing a Q &A guys! Ask me anything! We'll, not anything. I will not answer private questions that could risk my safety, and if I do, the answers will be extremely vague, or completely made up. But yeah! Ask me things about myself and my likings and I'll answer them! Either PM me, or simply put it in the reviews :D**

 **Also...I'll be going to Wisconsin Dells next week, so I'll be gone for about three days. So that means the next update will take a longer time :/ sorry about that. But hey! Summer school is almost over, so that's good! More time to write! Yay!**

 **I love you all ≤33**

 **~Kat**


	23. Chapter 22

**Im baaackkkkk! HEY GUYS! As you can tell, I'm in a good mood, so that's great XD You all make me so happy! Thank you to all who asked me questions for my Q &A. I will be answering those questions right now ((:**

 _ **Fthorne333; Q: Do you have an Xbox, if so what games do you play?**_

 _ **A:**_ **Sadly, no I do not have an Xbox ): _But,_ I do sometimes play video games with my cousins, cuz they have an Xbox. I play Street Fighters (I think that's what it's called, not sure) and Black Ops, (again, not sure if that's how you write it XD, sorry I'm not too keen on my whole video game knowledge) But thank you for your question!**

 ** _SlytherinPotato15; Q: Would you rather eat cheesy potatoes or potato salad for the rest of your life?_**

 ** _A:_ Yes! I love random questions! And...I'm not sure actually. I think I'd get pretty tired of eating either for the rest of my life. Potatoes aren't exactly my favorite food, but I do like them. But if I had to choose...I think the potato salad. I like potato salad. Also...I think it'd be healthier than the cheesy potatoes..? XD idk, it just seems more appetizing to me. Thanks for your question! This one left me thinking a lot XD**

 _ **Cinder Luna; Q: What made you start writing?**_

 **A: Hm, well I've always had a passion for writing. I just feel so free when I do. I feel like I can express myself so much when I write. I love it. As for why I started writing this story, I was actually inspired by another story called Criminal. It was also an AU about Percy being a gang leader, and for some reason that sparked my interest a lot. The author sadly didn't finish writing the story, so I got the idea to write my own. But I changed it up by making Annabeth a model, and them two being sworn off love. I fell in love with the idea, and my fingers were literally itching to start writing. So, I practically begged my Dad to take me to the store so I could buy myself a notebook. When I did, the first thing I did when I came home is started writing this story ((:**

 _ **Q: What are your other favorite book series besides Percy Jackson and Harry Potter?**_

 **A: Well, I just started reading The Mortal Instruments, and I'm already in love with the series. I also like Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard, and of course The Trials of Apollo (:**

 ** _Meistar; Q: Who is your favorite PJATO or HOO character?_**

 **A: I honestly love all of them. They are all just so amazing and unique in every way. But...I gotta say Annabeth. Everything about her is like the perfect role model. She's brave, intelligent, headstrong, beautiful, and hard working. She's just so awesome.**

 ** _Q: Who out of the following do you feel worst for?_**

 ** _a. Leo_**

 ** _b. Nico_**

 ** _c. Luke_**

 ** _d. Hazel_**

 ** _e. Thalia_**

 ** _f. Other_**

 ** _Like who do you think and the saddest backstory?_**

 **A: Honestly, I'm thinking either Leo or Hazel or Nico. It's just so sad that they had to lose their parent. They had to live with that guilt thinking they killed them themselves. We'll, Hazel and Leo did. But Nico had to also face losing his sister, the only person he had left. That's pretty sad. I feel so bad for them ):**

 _ **Q: When did you start reading PJAOT and HOO?**_

 **A: Actually, the person that introduced PJO to me was my sixth grade teacher. Since we did reading group, she made my group read the first book, The Lightning Thief. At first, I was kinda iffy about reading it, but after the first two chapters, I fell in love and regretted having any doubts about the book. I actually ended up finishing the book when we weren't supposed to because it was that good. Then I ended up buying the whole series, and read all of them in about a week or so. Then I found out that there was a second series. Since we got these book orders, thank gods HoO was there, I bought it. And then..yeah. I fell in love with the characters and everything about the books. So, I started reading the series last year.**

 _ **Q: Solangelo or Percabeth?**_

 **A: Oh my gods...this one is really hard. I mean, they're both so wonderful and everything and give me so many feels! Argh, why do you torture me like this? Oh gods um...this is really hard. But, my heart lies with Percabeth. Solangelo is everything as well.**

 _ **Q: Frazel or Jasper?**_

 **A: Great, another hard one. Frazel is just so cute and adorable. Jasper is so sweet and full of love. But...I'm gonna have to go with Jasper. I fell in love with those two being a couple.**

 _ **Q: Caleo or Thaluke?**_

 **A: Hm... Honestly, I never really did ship Thalia and Luke. I mean yeah, that would've made an interesting couple, but to be honest, Thalia's too good for Luke. And Caleo literally dropped out of nowhere, and I ended up squealing my head off. In the Battle of the Labyrinth, when Rick Troll Riordan made Percabeth FINALLY kiss, and then sent Percy to Ogygia and made him meet Calypso, I didn't like her. I know, that's kinda mean, but gods, she made him hesitate to go back to the mortal world! And then in the House of Hades, when Annabeth couldn't find Percy when he was right there, and turned out Calypso had put a curse on her, I was super mad. It broke my heart as much as Percy to see her like that. But when Leo and Calypso met, that's a whole different story. When they kissed before Leo left, that made me squeal like a little piggy. Only then did I start liking Calypso. So, I've got to say I choose Caleo.**

 _ **Q: Who is your OTP?**_

 **A: I have many OTP's, but I obviously have Percabeth as my number one. They are just literally relationship goals. Whenever I read a Percabeth moment, I'm just over here laying in the floor and thinking, _what is my life?_ But yes, they bring me down on my hands and knees from how much praise I have for them and feels they bring me. And like Annabeth said in MoA, gods forbid they ever have to breakup. Only then will I have a need to die.**

 _ **Q:**_ **_Do you have any siblings?_**

 **A: Yes, I do in fact. I have two little sisters. One is eleven years old, and the other one is six. I'm the oldest, which is always a pain. They can be really annoying, but I've learned to cope with them.**

 **Thank you all for your amazing questions! I had so much fun finding a response for each and every one. I love you all! You're the reason why this story is alive ≤33**

 **Important news at the end of this chapter! Make sure to check it out!**

 **Disclaimer: _Oxi_ , I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I didn't want to run.

I wanted to stay in my room, curled up in my nice soft blankets, sleeping. I didn't want to worry about anyone breaking into HQ. I wanted to relax for once and not think of my troubles.

But, the universe seems to hate me.

Instead, Percy's pulling me by the hand, dragging me downstairs while bullets fly everywhere, including in our direction. I was absolutely terrified.

I couldn't see Percy's expression, but by the death grip he had on my hand, I knew he was furious.

By some miracle, we made it to the bottom of the stairs. Percy quickly ducked low, pulling me down with him. He cocked his gun and shot it in the direction of two men dressed in black, black masks covering their faces like the ones you might see on robbers on TV. The two men crumpled to the floor instantly.

Only then did I realize that there were many of them everywhere. They were ducking behind furniture, aiming their shots in our direction. If it wasn't for Percy being so experienced in this, we both would've been dead.

I heard footsteps descending behind me, and I quickly jerked my head to see a broad man dressed in black aiming directly at me. I froze in fear as his index finger moved to the trigger. My heart seemed to stop, but then my instincts took over. I quickly pushed Percy and I to the side as the man pulled back the trigger and shot at the floor where we once were. Before the man could even turn, I threw my dagger at him, the bronze knife impaling itself in his neck. The guy slumped to the floor.

Not missing a beat, Percy quickly hauled us up, shooting three more times in the direction of the entrance. Three more men fell. Percy rushed over to the man I had impaled my knife with and pulled it out of his neck. He handed it to me, half of the knife oozing sticky, fresh blood. He locked eyes with me, and I suppressed a flinch.

His eyes burned with so much anger, it would make any person want to get into fetal position. His eyes were dark, the green and blue specks dancing and swirling around, like a hurricane before it struck. Even with that anger in them, he surprised me by planting a firm kiss to my lips. Then, he turned and ran down the hallway, pulling me with him.

It was not the same hallway we used to get to HQ, but when he went up to the blank looking wall and pressed his hand against it, a padlock that looked like the other one we used appeared. The red line scanned his hand and beeped in confirmation. Percy turned to look over his shoulder, and when he saw no one, he turned back to the padlock. A keyboard on the screen appeared, and Percy quickly punched in some numbers. The thing beeped again, and switched to another page. Percy punched in some more numbers and the padlock beeped once more. I was getting anxious. The men might find us, and Percy and I would be stuck in a dead end.

The keyboard on the screen transformed into Greek letters, and Percy punched some of them in. It read, _diafygi._ Escape.

A check mark appeared next to the word, and Percy quickly pressed it. He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes blazed when he saw two men running down the hallway. In a blink of an eye, Percy took out his gun and shot them both dead.

A rumbling noise was heard, and I drew in breath when another hallway appeared. It was lit up by a few lights, but it was overall dark. I couldn't tell how far it went, but it looked long.

Percy turned back to the padlock and punched in some more letters. My heart seemed to stop when I read what he put in. _Aftokatastrofi._ Self destruct.

I looked at Percy with wide eyes, my breathing quickening. "Percy, what are you-"

His eyes flashed. "I'm setting the house to blow up. Once we leave, they won't be able to follow us or find HQ. They'll all go to hell."

I couldn't seem to find my voice, so I nodded numbly. Percy pressed another check mark and the countdown started. _60, 59, 58, 57..._

I would've stood there until the countdown ended, watching the numbers tick lower, and lower, and lower. But the sound of gunshots ringing through the air snapped me back to the present. Percy fired three more times behind him, and then he shoved me into the dark hallway. He followed after me, blindly reaching for my hand. He seemed to press a button to the side of the wall, and the hallway closed up, leaving us in complete darkness.

* * *

Percy quickly led me through the dark hallway, moving swiftly and easily. How he could see with no light I have no idea, but he manuevered through the hallway as if he'd gone through here many times before.

I hadn't said a word since we'd entered the dark hall, but I couldn't help the question that blurted out of my mouth. "Have you gone through here before?"

Percy did not respond. He simply gave my hand a squeeze and continued jogging is down the hall, occasionally making some turns. I thought he wouldn't say anything, but he did. "No," came his reply. And that was it. He didn't elaborate or anything. A simple no.

I wanted to smack him for that.

Finally, Percy stopped as we reached the end of the hall. He quickly pressed a button on the wall, and a door appeared out of nowhere. He swiftly pushed it open, and he led me outside. The door had led to...the garage.

How was that possible?

I didn't have time to dwell on possibilities, because Percy was already dragging me in the direction of an already turned on plane. My heart was thumping in my chest wildly, threatening to jump out. What was going on? Who were those men? How did they know we were there? What the hell?

Percy whistled loudly, and instantly a set of stairs ejected themselves from the plane. He pushed me in front of him, and I wasted no time in getting inside. Percy followed after me, his jaw clenched so tightly, I thought he might've chipped a tooth.

I heard running footsteps, and Leo, Jason, Nico, Piper and Reyna jumped onto the plane. They were gasping and heaving for air, their faces beaded with sweat.

"Thalia, Bianca, go!" Percy shouted. I lurched to the side a bit as the plane began moving, the engine humming and desperate to lift off.

Once we were fully outside, the plan began to leisuresly ascend. Percy snapped his fingers, and Leo immediately stood up straight. Leo pulled out a little box from his back pocket. Matches.

He walked over to the open door of the plane, and I was too exhausted and terrified to be able to say anything. He lit one of them up. A quick strike that set the small match ablaze. He put his arm out the door, and dropped the match. It fell into the lawn of HQ. The plane ascended higher and higher, and Leo continued dropping matches onto the lawn until there were no more. By now, the whole front and back lawn of the house was on fire. No escape.

Percy whistled again, and Leo stepped back as the door closed itself.

And then came the loud, blood curling sound, of the house blowing up.

* * *

"Alright," Percy growled as he paced back and forth through the open area of the plane. "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?"

Everyone winced at the tone of Percy's voice. He was furious. No, furious wasn't even close to describe how angry he was. He was _beyond_ furious.

His hands clenched and unclenched themselves, his arms trembling in seething rage. His eyes were as fiery as the flames that surrounded the lawn of HQ.

As I glanced around the plane, I noticed that all of their faces were pale as they followed Percy's seething figure. If they were scared of Percy, who they had known most of their lives, I was terrified. I knew Percy could get angry, but _this much?_ Seeing him like this made me want to curl up into a ball.

Percy smashed his fist on the side of the plane, causing everyone to jump in their seats. " _How the fuck did they find HQ?"_ He spat through clenched teeth.

No one dared answer. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. The only sound filling the plane was the humming of the engine and the occasional growls Percy let out.

Percy stopped pacing, standing perfectly still in the middle of the plane. Realization seemed to dawn upon his features. His eyes flashed. " _The mall,"_ he said softly, his voice so quiet we had to lean forward in order to catch what he said.

"The mall," he said in a louder voice. All the girls winced.

Bianca looked at him pleadingly. "Percy, no. No, no one followed us home, I'm sure of it-"

"THEN HOW THE FUCK DID THEY FIND HQ?" Percy shouted, his eyes blazing. Bianca paled, her complexion as white as a sheet.

"How?" Percy asked, his voice terrifyingly soft.

Seeing Percy liked this pained me. I didn't want to see him so angry. I wanted him to be grinning that boyish and gorgeous grin of his. I wanted his eyes to be flickering with happiness. But I knew trying to calm down Percy in his state right now was like trying to calm down a tornado.

Leo decided to break the silence that had filled the plane. "Ok, I'll bite. Who's _they?"_

Percy slumped in the seat behind him. He ran a hand through his raven hair, the anger from his face and eyes subsiding. "I don't know."

* * *

After Percy had calmed down from his rage, he had told everyone to go to sleep. Everyone was tired and still shocked at what had happened. No one had a clue at who might've attacked us. No one.

But I didn't want to go to sleep.

I was too terrified. Everytime I closed my eyes, I saw Percy's seething figure, the men dressed in black, and the gunshots that shot through the air.

Instead of falling back asleep, I had grabbed a blanket and went into the seating area of the plane. I felt so peaceful here as I watched the cities fly by below. It reminded me of New York. My heart ached painfully to return there. I wanted to see my Mother and talked to her. I wanted to be in the city I had grown up in for most of my life.

 _But where are we going now?_

"Can't sleep?"

I gasped alarmingly at the intrusion. My heart thumped at a quick pace, being momentarily caught off guard. But, I knew that deep, swoon-worthy voice from anywhere.

My heart returning to it's normal pace, I sighed, closing my eyes lightly. "No."

I heard footsteps approaching me, and then he was sitting down on the seat next to mine. He didn't say anything else, but I knew his sea green eyes were watching me intently.

I rested my head against the window, the cold glass causing me to shiver. I opened my eyes, only to find Percy's ocean ones staring at me.

"Percy..." I started hesitantly. I didn't want to bring it up. That would cause Percy to get angry again, and I didn't want to see that expression on him again. His eyes locked with mine. "What happened back there?"

Percy didn't respond. His gaze flickered to the window, his green eyes turning a light shade of blue as the lights from below illuminated his face. After about a minute, he let his eyes flickered back to mine. His face softened, and he leaned forward to press a soft kiss on my lips. He lingered there for a second, before pulling back. He took my hand in his, looking at me earnestly. "I don't know," he admitted. "But what I _do_ know, is that I will not let anyone ever hurt you."

I managed a soft smile. I leaned into him, letting his strong arms wrap around me, and I felt more secure than I had that whole morning. I fiddled softly with the zipper of his leather jacket, the material cool and hard under my touch. Percy absentmindedly stroked my hair, the gesture relaxing me even more.

"Now where are we going?" I asked quietly.

Percy pressed a kiss on top of my head, his hand continuing to run through my hair smoothly. "Chicago."

My heart sank. Why did that man have to be in Chicago? Why couldn't he be closer to New York?

As if reading my mind, Percy tilted my head up to see his face. He gave me a soft smile. "Hey," he said. "Don't worry. We'll be back in New York in no time." He leaned in and kissed me. I melted into the kiss, all my sadness and fears and worries fading away. His lips moved gently and softly against mine, moving in perfect sync. He caressed my cheek as we kissed, his thumb stroking my face. Finally, he pulled back and gave me a smile. "Ok?" He asked.

I managed a small smile and snuggled into him. "Ok."

With the soft hum of the engine, Percy's heartbeat thumping steadily, and the warmth of his body next to mine, I soon fell asleep.

* * *

 _Annabeth carefully stacked up the dominoes on top of one another, her hands moving slowly and cautiously. Once the last piece was set up, she smiled proudly at her re-creation of the Parthenon._

 _She jumped up, the grin on her face seeming unremovable. With a happy little skip, she bounced over to her door, swinging it open with gusto to go call her Mother to come and look at her masterpiece._

 _The eight year old girl skipped_ _down the hallway, heading towards her Mother and Father's room._

 _"Athena, this is ridiculous! You cannot pass down the company to her!"_

 _Annabeth slowed down as she approached the door, her Father's growl making her stop._ What were they talking about?

 _"And why not?" She heard her Mother's sharp reply._

 _Annabeth could practically hear her Father raking his hands through his hair in frustration. "It would make more sense to just let me take over the company." He tried to reason._

 _"Frederick!" Her Mother snapped. "Annabeth is only eight and you can already see how smart she is. Annabeth has a love for architecture. It only seems right that she takes over the company. Annabeth will run it well, you just watch."_

 _Annabeth cocked her head to the side. She vaguely remembered her Mother talking with her earlier about running some company. But that didn't really make sense to Annabeth. How can someone_ run _a_ company? _That seemed impossible to Annabeth, but she has been excited nonetheless. Annabeth did love gazing at those tall, big, and pretty buildings. Annabeth wanted to design a tall, big and pretty building of her own when she grew up._

 _"The idea is preposterous," Frederick snarled. "That girl will not be able to run a company. Why can't you leave the company for the twins and I to run? That seems much more reasonable."_

 _"No," Athena said firmly. "The company will be passed down to Annabeth, and that is final."_

 _Annabeth heard her Father growl, and she heard rapid footsteps stomping towards the door. The little girl was too confused to think of hiding. What had they been talking about? Why was her dad so mad? Was this all her fault that her mommy and daddy were fighting?_

 _The door swung open, and Annabeth stood frozen as her Father looked over her. He scowled at her, and Annabeth winced. Her Father looked at her angrily, and Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows in concern and confusion. "Daddy," she said, reaching out an arm to set it on his forearm. "Are you okay?"_

 _Frederick scowled at her. "I'm fine," he snapped. Annabeth flinched, recoiling from him. Frederick's mouth twisted into a dry, bitter smile, but Annabeth was too young to notice how fake it was. "I'm doing absolutely great." He said._

 _With that, he brushed past her, leaving the eight year old girl wondering what made her daddy look so angry and then suddenly happy._

I jerked awake, flinging the blanket that was covering my sweaty body to the floor.

I ran a hand through my hair, squeezing my eyes shut. Why did I have to dream about _that?_

Even to this day, I couldn't understand why my Dad had been so angry about him not getting ownership of the company. It hurt just to dream about that day. I pushed down the swell of emotions rising in my chest.

Dad... Matthew...Bobby...Gone forever.

"Annabeth? Are you ok?"

I opened my eyes to see Percy, coming out of the control room of the airplane. He was dressed in black jeans, white T-shirt, a chain swinging from the side of his jeans, his sea green and black bandana tied around his messy hair, and his leather jacket swung carelessly over his shoulder.

I forced a smile, clearing away any thoughts of my deceased Dad and brothers. "I'm fine."

Percy studied me carefully, clearly unconvinced with my answer. His eyes still had that angry glint to them, but he seemed more in control now, so I wasn't worry about him ripping out one of the plane's seats and flinging it across the place.

Finally, he nodded at me, but I could tell he was aching to ask me what was wrong. I was grateful for that, because I was in no mood to be remembering my past. Much less talking about it.

"How long until we land in Chicago?" I asked as he came over to sit next to me.

"About an hour left," he answered, staring blankly at the floor.

"What time is it?"

Percy blinked and took out his phone, quickly clicking it on and then pocketing his phone. "It's six in the morning."

I sighed, leaning back into the cushioned seat of the plane. I just wanted to get this over with and leave. I don't think I'll be able to survive another hour in this plane. Much less a day or two in Chicago.

We had already stayed a week in L.A, and just that had felt like a whole month. Speaking of months...was it already June? Which means that I've been with The Olympians for a whole month already. Wow.

"Are the others still asleep?" I asked quietly.

A faint smile played on Percy's lips. "Yeah. They don't wake up until around eight-thirty." He glanced at me, his expression softening. "You should go back to sleep too. You need rest. I'll wake you up when we land."

I nodded numbly. Just hearing the word _sleep_ gave me the urge to just pass out. I leaned down to pick up my discarded blanket and wrapped it around me. I leaned myself into Percy, who wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled my head close to his.

Just being next to him made me feel safe and secure. I knew that as long as I was with Percy, nothing and no one would hurt me.

Soon enough, my eyes started to flutter shut, and with that, I fell asleep, the scent of ocean air lulling me to sleep.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I smiled softly as I watched Annabeth sleep peacefully. She looked absolutely beautiful, and appeared so peaceful that I would have never thought she was scarred. The worry lines on her gorgeous face disappeared. Her mouth settled into a relaxed smile, not the kind of strained ones she always wore. Her chest rose and dropped steadily, her soft breathing even and peaceful.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, my lips tingling at the contact. She mumbled incoherently and shifted slightly, her messy yet still flawless golden hair spreading out above her head like a halo. She looked like an angel.

Suddenly, the door to the control room opened, and Thalia poked her head out, her expression grim. Her eyes held no teasingness in them, and she didn't come up with a sarcastic remark once she opened the door. My body and thoughts immediately went on high alert. If she looked this serious, someone either died, or she had bad news for me.

I was hoping neither were the answer.

"Hey," she greeted in a monotone voice. "Can you come in here for a second? I gotta show you something. And it's not good."

 _Shit._ I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I nodded distractedly at her. "Yeah, yeah. Be there in a sec."

Thalia pursed her lips and nodded wordlessly, slipping back into the room. I gently disentangled myself from Annabeth, hoping to not wake her up. I settled her in a comfortable position, tucking the blanket snuggly into her. I pressed a kiss to her temple, relishing the feeling of my lips burning at the contact.

With one last glance at her, I stepped into the control room.

* * *

Inside I found Jason, Thalia, Nico and Bianca, all wearing serious expressions.

Fuck.

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it and crossing my arms over my chest. Jason was currently driving the plane, but even with his back facing me, I could feel the serious vibes rolling off of him.

I sighed. "So what'd you guys want to tell me?"

They all exchanged nervous glances, and silently, Thalia pulled out her phone. She handed it to Nico, who quickly typed something in, and then scowled deeply at the screen. He sighed and shook his head, his face and eyes emotionless. "Check it out," he said, passing me the phone.

I glanced down at the screen and scanned the page over. As I continued reading, I felt that unfortunately familiar feeling of white hot anger rising in my chest. I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles and hands turning white.

I re-read the whole thing, wondering if these guys were pulling a joke on me, but I doubted they would pull such a joke on me, especially when they knew that I wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone.

 **Three Major Company Buildings in L.A Blown Up: _Could this be the work of The Olympians?_**

 _Stark Industries, Villa Corp and Sky High Enterprises' official office buildings blown up at around 12 AM today. Around eighty dead, with about thirty injuries with all the companies combined. Major contracts lost in the damage. Companies heard to go out of business for losing those important documents._

 _Already, Brandon Fabiola was found dead in his office on May 25th at around eight thirty in the morning. Fabiola's most famous and successful hotel building blown up on May 24th. Fabiola had currently been slowly making its way to the top of the business industry, but soon was kicked out of power when Fabiola was killed. Many people think this was the work of The Olympians, but as to why they did it, no one will ever know._

 _The recent buildings that had been blown up seemed to have been done in the same way as Fabiola's hotel. Could The Olympians have been behind all of this?_

I gritted my teeth in anger. I had never ordered a bombing on those buildings. In fact, I've never even _heard_ of those businesses until now. The Olympians couldn't have done it. Nothing goes on in this gang that I don't know about.

"Is this a joke?" I snarled, my anger soon washing over me in hot waves.

Bianca shook her head, her face pale and droopy. "We wish it was," she said miserably. "But this was on the news and is now everywhere. We have no idea who could've blown up those buildings."

I tried to restrain myself from punching the walls of the plane. _Twelve in the morning today...One thirty in the morning when those men attacked HQ..._

I pounded my fist against the door, causing them all to jump. Blood roared in my ears. "Those fuckers that attacked HQ," I growled as all the puzzle pieces went into place. "Those motherfuckers must have been behind that."

Thalia's eyes narrowed, her electric orbs flashing uncertainly. "How can you be so sure?"

I ran a hand through my hair, my vision turning red. "I don't know," I admitted, my voice sharp. "But I have a feeling. It can't be a coincidence that those men attacked us the same day someone blew up three major company buildings. _And in the same area we were in."_

Nico scowled. "Then what are we going to do? And who exactly are those guys?"

"We'll talk about the matter once we get home. But for now we have to be on high alert. No one can leave the house without my permission., and if I do allow it, you'll have to be heavily disguised. Be careful who you talk to," I warned, my voice cold. "But right now we have to focus on our other mission. Even then we'll have to be extra cautious. And as for who those men are," I locked eyes with each of them. "We'll find out."

They all nodded in agreement, their eyes flashing with determination. Good. Thats what they were trained to feel.

Jason cleared his throat up front as he navigated the plane. "We're here, Perce."

I nodded. "Alright, good," I faced the others. "Bianca, you go wake up the other girls. Nico, you wake up the guys. Thalia, help Jason land the plane. Once we're inside, head straight to HQ. We'll discuss the matters at hand there and try to figure out what the hell is going on."

They all nodded, and quickly left.

I left the control room, heading over to wake up Annabeth. She was still sleeping soundly, her face angelic and beautiful. I smiled at her sleeping figure, feeling all my anger dissipitate by just looking at her. I tucked one of her curs behind her ear, letting my hand brush over her cheek.

I hesitated about waking her up. She had barely gotten any sleep since she joined the gang. For once, I wanted to let her sleep to her heart's content. But, when you're in a gang, you have to get used to not getting all the rest you need. You always need to be on alert. You need to be ready for anything. You have to expect the unexpected. And most important of all; show no fear.

I gently shook Annabeth's shoulder. "Annabeth," I said. "Annabeth, wake up."

She shifted and mumbled incoherently, the action causing a smile to dance on my lips. I leaned down closer to her. "Annabeth," I muttered into her ear. "Wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open, her gorgeous gray eyes glinting silver with sleep. She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes and groaning. She ran a hand through her messy curls, and squinted at me. A sleepy smile formed on her face, and I couldn't help but get a warm feeling wash over me. "Hey," she greeted, her voice croaky and quiet.

I smiled at her and leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips. She smiled against my lips, bringing her hands up to wrap them around my neck. She wasn't those type of people to have bad morning breath. Her mouth tasted as mint as ever. I pulled back, letting my forehead rest against hers.

"We're here."

* * *

 **Oh my gods, I'm so sorry this took so long to upload! I've been so busy over the week, I didn't have time to finish writing this chapter. But, I did! So sorry about that. Hate to keep you guys waiting so long, especially after that last cliffhanger! I loved that cliffhanger XD**

 **Also, _important news_ : There's a petition going on about wanting to make PJO a TV show! How exciting is that?! But, the cast will be as close looking to the characters in the book as possible. They will have the features the characters in the book have. Ex) Annabeth's hair, Luke's scar. It will be made so at least two chapters of the book are one episode, and each season will be a new book. Just search up on Google; PJO Netflix petition, and it will appear. So go sign a petition! This TV show will be based on the book as close as possible, NOT like the movies where the directors didn't even read the books. They will even try to contact Rick Riordan himself in order to help along with this project! It'll be awesome, so please, go sign a petition!**

 **I love you all, you guys are da best ≤33**

 **~Kat :D**


	24. Chapter 23

**Hey my loves! So, I'm out of summer school (finally) so that means I'll have more time to upload more chapters at a quicker pace! Yay! My goal is to update three or four chapters before I return to school, which I start August 23rd. Anyway, let's just jump right into it! Hope you guys enjoy (:**

 **But first! Let me take a moment to recognize these awesome reviewers! You guys rock my world (:**

 ** _Fthorne333:_ Well, I just started reading The Mortal Instruments series, and I love it already. I also read The Trials of Apollo, and the Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard series. I used to read The Babysitters Club series, but not anymore.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you so much! And yes! Go sign the petition! The TV show's gonna be amazing if they do create it! I'm equally excited!**

 _ **Bookfangirl445:**_ **Thank you! I try to add the perfect amount of romance and everything else in it to keep my readers into it. I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you thank you thank you! And yeah, the movie was so terrible, I cringed throughout the whole thing. I don't think the directors even read a single word from the book :/ but finally! They'll create something that's _actually_ at least somewhat accurate!**

 _ **niki4ever:**_ **Hmm...maybe... you'll find out soon enough! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy ((:**

 _ **Wisegirl3343:**_ **Wow... thank you so much! It means the whole world to me when someone says that _my_ writing makes their day. It's absolutely surreal. Thanks a million for your nice words (: And, I love random questions! And OMFGS I LOVE cheesecake. It's so good! My mom makes it all the time, and I can never get enough of it. Any type of cheesecake, I love it. Do you like cheesecake?**

 _ **istar1444:**_ **Hmm, your question was who my favorite character is from my story, and I honestly love all of them. But, I guess Annabeth, really. She has a terrible past, but she is slowly mending that pain as the story goes on. She tries hard to forget about her past life, as it is filled with so much sadness and heartbreak. She's scared and unsure about what to do, but she is learning to put trust in others. It's hard to do that, I should know. But overall, I just love writing from Annabeth's POV. And as for your second question...you'll find out as the story goes on... And thanks a million! Here's the chapter you've been waiting for ((: hope you like it!**

 **Thank you all so much for your nice words and comments, you guys make my day ≤33**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

The house was different than the other two I've been to so far.

Instead of it being in a mansion-type layout, it was a modern-styled house. I've always loved those type of houses. This one looked like one from the outside as well, not like how the other houses were disguised as a whole different house on the outside.

The outside was magnificent enough, with a medium sized garden next to the passageway. The door was wooden, with a deep mahogany color. The garage was attached to the house, the door of it a beige color. It looked large enough, but I didn't let it's appearance fool me. Sure enough, it would be the size of a whole airport.

Thank and Jason had landed the airplane in the large drivethrough for the rest of us to get off, and they while we were entering, they were bringing the plane into the garage. The entrance was filled with light illuminating from the many windows all around, since houses like these were styled to have large windows. A nice staircase ran up next to the left side of the wall. Beside the staircase, a hallway led to who-knows-where. The wall on the right was rocky-styled, so beige colored faux rocks covered up the wall completely. A medium sized table was set up right next to that wall, a mirror hung from it. A medium sized bouquet of llilies and roses was set up on the table.

Suspended from the ceiling hung a lantern-typed light, holes protruding from the sphered shape of it. From where the staircase led up, a hallway was visible, so if anyone came in, they could see who passed through that hall.

All in all, I was in awe.

Percy, who had been watching me since we entered, smiled at me. "You like it?"

I nodded dazedly, stepping forward to run my hand over the bumps of the cold rocks. "It's amazing," I breathed. I then smirked, remembering just who designed this house. "My Mother really out did herself."

Leo snorted. "She sure did. I heard she fussed over the layout for three weeks. Don't know why she was so obsessed on making it perfect. We never stay in these houses for long anyway."

I smiled sadly. "My Mother always make sure her work is flawless and as beautiful as ever." I felt a pang in my chest of longing at the thought of her. I had to call her.

As if reading my mind, Percy wrapped his arms around me from behind, planting a kiss to my cheek. "You can call her if you want, Annabeth. Feel free to call anyone you have to right now." He muttered.

I smiled, turning my head to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you. But, I think I'd rather have you give me a tour of this house first."

He smirked at me. "It would be my most pleasure. But unfortunately, we've got a meeting to attend to."

* * *

The way to HQ was different.

Percy had led me up the staircase, flanked by Leo, Reyna, Piper, Bianca and Nico. He had turned down the hallway to the left, the one that was not visible from the entrance, and had led us down all the way. He had turned to the right towards another hallway and reached the end of the wall.

The procedure was still the same however, to get downstairs to HQ. Five minutes later, we were all seated around the table, just having to wait for Thalia and Jason to arrive.

A question popped into my mind, and only then was I reminded at how hyperactive my thoughts really were. I frowned at them. "How many times have you guys even gone here to Chicago?"

Reyna knit her eyebrows. "I'm not entirely sure. Seven, eight times? I lost track of how many times we visit a place."

Percy smirked at her. "Nine times, Rey. Five for having to come here to kill some business people. Two for having some drug and weapon deals to take care of. The other two times for having to blow up some buildings."

Piper frowned at him. "How can you possibly remember each reason?"

Percy smirked and shrugged. "Gang leader's gotta remember his tasks."

Nico rolled his eyes and scowled at him. "You remember that, but you don't remember when our birthdays are?"

Percy rolled his eyes back at him. "Of course I remember when your birthdays are. Nico...yours is..." Percy trailed off, biting his lip in concentration. After a count of ten, he shrugged. "I got nothing."

Leo snorted, while the girls rolled their eyes. Nico sighed exasperatedly and gave me a pointed look as if to say, _what'd I tell you?_

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, and Percy scowled at Nico. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when five sharp knocks echoed outside the door. It swung open and Thalia and Jason walked in, both of them bickering back and forth.

"Jason, you dumbfuck, why didn't you listen to me? I clearly said, _stop the fucking plane!"_ Thalia was currently saying, her expression exasperated and irked.

Jason glared at her. "You were a little late on the warning, Pinecone Face."

Thalia's hand rose in what seemed to be a slap, but Piper was quickly shooting up from her chair to step between them. She put a hand on Jason's chest, and rolled her eyes at the two. "For God's sake, what are you two arguing about now?"

Thalia scowled at Jason. "This blind dumbass made the plane crash into some of our cars. Now we have at least twenty five _expensive_ cars with deformed figures."

Jason scoffed. "As if you weren't being blind as well. What's the point of telling someone to stop a plane when I'm _already crashing into the damn cars."_

Piper sighed and squeezed the temple of her nose in frustration and annoyance, as if this had happened one too many times already. "It doesn't matter. We can easily replace the cars. Jason, pay more attention next time. Thalia, make sure to warn your brother on time."

The two siblings glared at each other, but finally gave in. "Fine," they both snapped. Piper gave them a scolding look. "Now say sorry."

Jason and Thalia rolled their eyes, but both reluctantly mumbled their sorry's. Piper smiled pleasingly at them. "Now, give each other a hug." She coaxed, her eyes glinting with amusement.

Thalia snorted and shook her head. "Not gonna happen," she proclaimed, strolling over to take her seat at the table.

Jason pointed at Thalia and nodded. "I'm with her on this one."

Piper rolled her eyes and went back to the table to take her seat, Jason sitting down in his respective seat as well.

The corners of Percy's mouth trembled slightly as he amusedly studied the pissed off expressions of his cousins, but then he cleared his throat. "Alright then, now that that was settled, onto business. As you all may know, we have the issue of Mark Evans and Jayden Harris. Mark is here in Chicago for a business meeting. Jayden is supposed to be in the city as well. Has anyone gathered information from any of our members?"

Reyna and Leo exchanged a glance. "Yeah, actually," Leo said. Reyna nodded and pursed her lips. "Jose Andrades called me to inform that Jayden and Mark usually meet at a restaurant in downtown Chicago. They discuss things there at around 8:00."

Percy frowned. "He's one of our Hispanic recruits, right?"

Leo and Reyna nodded. Percy studied the table or a second, his eyebrows furrowed. "And what restaurant is this?"

"An Italian restaurant called The Rosebud," Leo answered. "About twenty five minutes away from here."

Percy nodded, but a sort of unsureness glinted in his eyes, a suspicious sort of gleam that made me uneasy. But, Jason's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "We should tell Andrade to meet us there at the restaurant," he suggested.

He looked at Percy for confirmation, and he took about three seconds to nod his head. Percy's intense green eyes flickered over to Reyna and Leo. "Since you two are the only ones who know Spanish, you two will come with us and translate for me. Call him after the meeting. Tell him to meet us there tomorrow at seven forty-five," Leo and Reyna both nodded. Percy turned to Bianca. "I want you to stay behind to monitor where they go after they leave the restaurant. You'll give us the directions and we'll head over there."

A flicker of a frown passed over Bianca's face for a millisecond, but it was replaced by a strained smile just as quickly. _What was that?_ Percy, however, didn't seem to notice. He faced the others. "We'll go with Annabeth's plan to take two girls and send them to warm up to the men, and get them to take them to one of their apartments. But, we'll leave Bianca to send us the address, cause the girls sending it could be risky. But now, we have to figure out which two girls will volunteer for the job."

"I'll go," I announced without thinking. All eyes flickered over to me, their expressions surprised. I was surprised myself as to why I volunteered. I usually think before I speak, and I guess my mouth had a mind of it's own right now. But now that I actually think about it, I _was_ thinking when I said I wanted to volunteer. I didn't know why, but I felt the need to actually _do_ something. I've felt so vulnerable the past few days, no weeks, I wanted that feeling to disappear. I felt that if I did this, at least some of that vulnerability would fade away. I played the act of being confident in front of the whole world, when really, I'm not. I'm scared and nervous and always feel like a lost puppy in the middle of a road. I was tired of pretending. I didn't want to lie to the whole world. I was going to actually be the Annabeth Chase everyone looks up to. I'm tired of putting up a facade.

Percy shook his head. "Annabeth, no. It's too dangerous."

"Percy, yes," I said, irritation creeping into my voice. "Isn't the whole idea of being in a gang dangerous? Let me do this. I'll be perfectly fine."

Percy's expression was troubled, and he shook his head firmly at me. "No, Annabeth. What happens if they find out who you're really working with? What if they hurt you? No, I can't let you do this."

"Percy," Piper spoke up, a stern expression on her face. "Let her. I'll go along too. If they try anything, I'll be there. Besides, Annabeth can handle herself. All we need is to be disguised perfectly well, and they'll never recognize us. We'll both go."

Jason shook his head at her. "Pipes, you can't go either. If-"

"If they try anything," Piper interrupted him, irritation written all over her face. "Annabeth and I will handle them perfectly fine. You guys are both being sexist, you know that? Let us go. _We'll be fine."_

Jason and Percy both shared a look, and seemed to have a silent conversation with each other. Finally, Percy sighed and frowned. "All right, fine. But we need one of our members to come and disguise you guys. Simple contacts won't work anymore. It's too dangerous to venture outside with just the contacts anymore."

Everyone nodded in agreement, their expressions darkening as they remembered the events from earlier. "Then who should we contact?" Nico asked, twisting his skull ring.

Piper grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Leave that to me."

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After the meeting ended, everyone went back upstairs to do who knows what. Annabeth started towards the door, but I caught her arm.

I felt her tense up instantly, but relaxed soon enough. She turned to look at me, her eyebrows knit. "What?"

I sighed. "Annabeth, are you sure you wanna do this?"

Annabeth smiled at me. "Yes, Percy. I'm sure. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have Piper with me to kick their asses if they try anything."

I studied her for a moment, trying to find any unsureness or hesitation she was hiding. But she wasn't. Her eyes were glimmering with determination and confidence. Her eyes remained locked with mine as I stared into them, the gray specks swirling and changing their tone of gray. She wanted to do this. She was confident. She was saying she'd be fine. And the more I looked into those gorgeous gray orbs, the more I started to believe her.

Reluctantly, I smiled at her. I leaned down and gave her a kiss on her lips. "Alright then."

She grinned at me and pecked me on the lips one more time. "What are you going to do now?" She asked when she pulled away.

I glanced behind me then turned back to her. "I was gonna train for a while."

"Can I join you?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow in surprise, but then thought this would be good for her. She'd have to start her training soon, so why not now?

I smiled at her. "Sure," I gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "And afterwards, I can give you that tour."

She beamed at me. "Sounds perfect."

This girl was absolutely amazing. I tucked a curl behind her ear. "Let's go change first though. I don't think it'll be easy trying to change with your pajamas still on."

* * *

I led her up the stairs to her room, turning down the hall to the right. This house didn't have so many twists and turns and so many rooms like the other houses so far, so I'm sure Annabeth had memorized the way immediately.

I led her all the way down the first hallway, and then turned left. We walked for a little more, before reaching the end of the hall, the last door leading to her room.

She opened it, revealing a pretty big bedroom. She smiled as she walked in, marveling every detail in the room. I loved seeing that dreamy and awe-struck look on her face when she gazed at these houses. She looked as if she was living a dream.

A dream where she didn't have to face any chances of getting killed.

The room wasn't as spacious and big as the other one she has been set in, but it was large nonetheless. The wall facing us was brick-styled, so it had coffee brown and different shades of gray bricks lining up the wall. The queen sized bed was set right in the middle of the room, an espresso brown headboard set up behind it. The comforter was a dark gray and olive green color. A large white rug was set in front of it. The wooden floor was colored a deep brown. Espresso brown nightstands were set on either side of the bed, small white lamps set on each.

Round lights implanted in the ceiling cast a glow in the brick wall. The rest of the room was a light colored gray. An espresso colored drawer was set next to where the wall jutted out near the nightstand on the left.

Broad, clear windows sent light into the room on the right side of the bedroom. Espresso brown curtains hung from them.

The closet was a few feet left from where the bathroom door was, which was on the left side of the room.

"How is it?" I asked Annabeth as she ran her hand along the brick wall.

"Hm?" She responded dazedly. I chuckled. "I asked if you liked the room."

She blinked and turned to face me, a wide grin on her face. "Of course I love it. Everything is so beautiful and well set up and designed."

I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her, breathing in her lemony scent. "I'll be downstairs when you're done," I whispered. "Find whatever clothes you need in the closet."

Annabeth nodded, and I tilted her head up and gave her a kiss. Even after the twenty times I've kissed her, I still get that warm, tingly feeling on my lips, and that electrical spark down my spine whenever our lips connect.

I pulled back and smiled at her, then turned and left the room.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

After Percy left, I rummaged through the huge closet, finally settling for a white tank top and black leggings that reached mid-calf. I put on some black and white Nike sneakers and quickly brushed out my tangled hair, tying it up in a messy high ponytail.

I left the room and went downstairs, already having remembered the way. Percy was there near the entrance, looking down at his phone with a scowl on his face. As I stepped down the stairs, Percy looked up and smiled at me.

He wore black joggers and a blue tank top, his black hair as messy as ever. His muscular arms were on display, and my eyes couldn't help but wander to them. I forced my eyes away from them and focused my attention on Percy's face, not that that made any difference. Any part of him was hot.

He smirked at me. "I know, I look good."

I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm playfully. "You wish."

He laughed and tugged on a loose curl from my hair. "Don't worry, no one can ever resist checking me out. Besides, you look good too."

I shoved him and laughed. "Come on, Mr. Good-looking. Are we gonna go train or not?"

Percy smirked at me, his green eyes glinting. "Why, of course, Ms. Chase," he said, jutting out his elbow for me to link my arm through. "Let's go, shall we?"

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

 **(AN: For this part, I suggest you guys listen to the song, Love to Hate it, by Off Bloom while reading. It goes great with their training scene :3 So if you can, please do so!)**

We entered the training room, still the same layout as the others. I immediately went towards the sword rack and picked out the bronze sword I usually used.

I turned towards Annabeth. "Sword practice first?"

She shrugged at me. "Sure." I raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't have your dagger with you now, do you?"

Annabeth bit her lip, frowning. "No. I think I left it on the plane."

I waved a dismissive hand. "That's fine. I'll tell Jason to get it back to you after practice. For now, I want to see how you do with a sword, not dagger," I gestured towards the rack. "Feel free to pick whatever sword you feel most comfortable with."

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows uncertainly, but stepped towards it nonetheless. She studied the swords, occasionally picking one up to test it's weight. Finally, she picked up a light bronze one. Her eyes examined it for a little, and she nodded. "This one," she announced.

I smiled at her. "Perfect." I strolled over to the center of the training room, Annabeth following after me.

I faced her, standing a few feet away from her. I smirked at her. "Come at me."

She scrunched up her nose cutely, but studied me carefully. Finally, she jumped forward, bringing her sword down on me. I instantly rose mine to block it, and she continued to hack at me, forcing me to move back.

She slashed at my sides and towards my feet, and I deflected every single strike. She was good, I'll admit that.

The strikes of the metal blades against each other sent echoes throughout the training room, our breathing and occasional grunts being the only noises filling the room.

Annabeth suddenly slashed at me across the head, and I instantly ducked. We were breathing hard already, and we had only been going at it for about a minute. Annabeth smirked at me, and I began moving towards her, forcing her to move back. I shook my head at her. "Who would've known, Ms. Annabeth Chase, world famous supermodel, could be so good at sword play?"

I suddenly slashed at her, and she blocked it, moving back. She shrugged at me. "I have my own secret talents."

I smirked at her. "How is the life of a supermodel?"

She responded by slashing back at me, driving me back once again. I blocked all her strikes, continuing to talk. "All the fame and glory. Have woman want to be you. Have men _want_ you. Have your face plastered on every billboard and magazine that was ever made," she twirled and swung her sword down on me, and I instantly blocked it. "I wonder how that must be like?"

Annabeth growled slightly and slashed her sword down in between my legs, and I pressed my blade on top of it so she wouldn't be able to retract it. She looked me in the eye. "It's not as easy as you think," she answered breathily.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Oh, I have no doubt." I swept my foot up, kicking her sword out of her hand and sending it skittering across the floor. I slashed at her head, and she instantly ducked, making a defiant noise in the process. I grinned slyly at her and swung my sword so the blade rested against my shoulder. She rose her hands up and let them slap against her thighs, making a face at me as she went to retrieve her sword.

As I watched her bend down to pick up her sword, I smirked. In a blink of an eye, I somersaulted over to her just as she stood up. She caught her breath. From how close I was to her, there was only about two centimeters of space between us, and as she looked at me, I smirked down at her. I could feel her breath fan my neck as she stared up at me. Her eyes flickered down to my lips, and then back up again, and she gave me a dry smile. My eyes couldn't help but wander to her own naturally glossy lips, but I restrained myself from kissing her and instead stepped away from her, smirking.

Annabeth composed herself and rolled her eyes at me. "You still haven't won yet, Jackson."

I rose an eyebrow at her. "Is that so?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed challengingly. "Be prepared to fall on your ass, cause that's what's going to happen."

* * *

Annabeth and I continued practicing for about two hours. I made her wrestle with me, (she won twice while I won three times) time her in the obstacle course, and helped her learn different stances with shooting a gun. She did great in all of them, but it was obvious she still needed more practice, but still, she was good. That girl never failed to amaze me.

Now, we had both gone upstairs to shower, as we were sweating profusely and were exhausted.

I dried my hair with the towel, making it stick up in different directions. I wrapped another towel around my waist and walked out of the bathroom, hearing straight towards the closet.

I picked out an olive colored tank top and black jeans, a silver chain hanging from the waist. I smirked as I dressed, remembering how I'd taken off my shirt during the training because of how sticky it had been with sweat. Annabeth's eyes had traveled up and down my chest and had faltered as she started to say something. Once I had smirked at her, she had narrowed her eyes at me and went back to training.

I walked downstairs to see Annabeth leaning against the door, her eyes wandering to every little detail of the place. She was dressed in gray skinny jeans with a salmon colored cold-shoulder top. White converse were settled on her feet, her golden hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Even with those simple clothes on, she looked gorgeous.

Her gray eyes flickered up to meet mine, and she smiled, the action causing a warm feeling to rise in my chest. God, this girl made me feel so many things, I've been losing track of them all.

"So," I said as I reached her. "Ready for that tour?"

She smirked at me. "Of course I am. Lead the way, Jackson."

* * *

I had finished leading Annabeth through the whole house in about forty minutes. She had marveled and gushes about everything, and my eyes never left her beautiful face. Her eyes lit up, their color changing to a pure, clear silver.

She had been in awe of everything, and I couldn't help but feel amused as to why she was so amazed by a house like this. But if I got to see that gorgeous face of hers light up like lights on Christmas Day, I wasn't going to complain.

As we sat on the white sofas of the spacious living room, Annabeth cuddled up next to me, I couldn't help but feel all my problems and concerns about tomorrow wash away. Only Annabeth could had that affect on me. I don't know what I'd do without her.

She poked my stomach, and I looked down at her and smiled. I poked her cheek in return, and she laughed. See poked my chest, resulting in me poking her flat stomach. She laughed that melodic laugh of hers and poked me in the shoulder.

Soon enough, we were poking each other wildly, Annabeth shrieking with laughter. She was laid under me, my body propped up over hers as I poked her everywhere. Annabeth was gasping with laughter, and my heart warmed at the sight, the goofy grin Jason always wore around Piper finding it's way onto my face. I always thought he looked stupid with that expression, but now I was sorry I had ever thought that. Annabeth brought that dazed expression on my face. I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Per-Percy!" She gasped, her cheeks flushed red. "S-st-stop!"

I laughed and poked her uncontrollably in the stomach, causing Annabeth to shriek with laughter and thrash wildly, trying to free herself from my grip.

"Per-Perc-Percy!" She laughed. "S-stop!"

I laughed and slowed down my pokes, my fingers finally resting on her stomach. Annabeth was breathless and still letting out breathy laughs, her cheeks flushed a crimson red. Not being able to resist myself, I leaned down and kissed her. Annabeth wrapped her arms around my neck in return, and our lips moved slowly against each other's, but the kiss was still filled with passion. I felt her smile against my lips, causing me to chuckle softly. We kisses for a while longer, before I pulled back.

I tried to keep our kisses slow, not wanting Annabeth to get tensed up if the kisses were too heated. I was fine with those slow-going kisses, however. My whole body tingled, and I felt as if my insides were on fire whenever I kissed her slowly like that. As long as I got to be with this goddess, I was perfectly fine.

Annabeth kept her arms locked around my neck as she smiled up at me, her lips still glossy and soft and pink. "What time is it?" She asked softly.

I gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, and pulled my phone out, clicking it on momentarily and then pocketing it. "It's four-thirty."

She nodded, and then frowned. "I'm hungry."

I nodded. "Me too. I think Reyna and Leo are preparing the food already."

Annabeth smiled, a questioning twinkle in her eyes. "Are they dating?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, sadly. They're not. But, I have a feeling they'll start sometime this year. But if anyone is going to ask the other out, it will be Reyna. Leo's too much of a pussy to ask her out."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and smacked my arm, yet a smile danced on her lips. "Don't call him that. And you're right, I have a feeling too."

I smiled at her and then sat back, allowing Annabeth some room to sit up. She knit her eyebrows, and I was starting to question how many thoughts ran through her head in just a second. "Who is that person Piper said she would call to disguise us?"

I shrugged in reply. "Not sure. But, I think I have an idea of who it might be. Piper called the person to fly here to Chicago today, so whoever it is might be in time for dinner."

Annabeth pursed her lips and nodded. She stood up, taking my hand and dragging me up with her, the chain from my jeans clinking from the movement. I looked at her with a confused smile. "What are you doing?"

She grinned at me. "Let's see if Reyna and Leo need any help."

With that, she dragged me over in the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

When we entered, the first thing we heard was Reyna scolding Leo.

"No!" She was saying. "Eso lo va sér probar malo! Porque éres tan pendejo?" _Thats going to make it taste bad! Why are you so stupid?_

Leo threw his hands up in the air. "Tu mé díjístes que le ponga éso, hermosa!" _You told me to put that in, gorgeous!_ "No es _mi_ culpa, es _tu_ culpa!" _Its not_ my _fault, it's_ your _fault._

Reyna waved her wooden spoon at Leo, her eyes steely and fierce. "Callate la pinché boca, Leo," she growled. _Shut your fucking mouth, Leo._

I cleared my throat loudly, cutting off whatever threat she was going to announce to Leo in Spanish. Their heads both snapped to ours, their expressions annoyed.

The glare on Leo's face instantly disappeared when he spotted us. "Hey guys!" He greeted cheerfully. Reyna seemed to try hard to dissipate the angry look on her face, but she managed a friendly smile.

"Hey, Leo, Reyna," I greeted back. I raised an eyebrow at them. "Did we interrupt something?"

Reyna sighed and shot Leo a pointed look. "No, no you didn't. It's just that _this_ dumbass added too much salt to the salsa mix. Now that he did that, it's not gonna taste good."

Leo rolled his eyes and pointed at her. "Lo voy a decír otraves. _Tu mé díjístes que le ponga éso."_ _I'm going to say it again,_ you told me to put that in.

Reyna glared at him. " _Pero no tanto!"_ But not so much!

I leaned down to whisper in Annabeth's ear, who was watching them with amusement and mold interest, her eyebrow raised. "Let's go," I whispered. "They just started yelling in Spanish, and when they do that, there's no stopping them. Come on, let's go."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Percy led me out of the kitchen, away from the fight Leo and Reyna were currently having. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Do they usually fight like that?"

Percy nodded, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Yeah. It usually happens when they're cooking together. Either Leo adds a little too much of something, or he forgets to add whatever Reyna told him to add. It's not something you want to get in between."

I smirked at him. "You sound like you speak from experience."

Percy chuckled and shook his head. "Let's just say Jason now instantly goes in the opposite direction of the two when he hears them yelling at each other."

I laughed as Percy strolled me over in the direction of the entrance. I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Now what?"

Percy smirked. "I was thinking we'd hit the pool."

I grinned at him. "Sounds gre-"

I was cut off by the rapid footsteps of someone coming down the hall, sounding like the person was in a hurry. Piper rounded the corner, her expression excited and gleeful. "She's coming, she's coming, she's coming..." She kept chanting over and over.

She scurried past us, but Percy's hand quickly shot out to stop her. "Woah, there. Why are you so happy?"

Her multicolored eyes shifted from brown to blue to green, and then repeated. "She's coming!" She shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Piper," Percy said, his expression confused and mildly amused. " _Whose_ coming?"

"The person whose going to disguise Annabeth and I tomorrow!" She exclaimed, her eyes bright.

Percy sighed, but smiled at her. "Pipes, I'mma need you to be a little more specific."

Piper's eyes flickered over to the door and then back at Percy, looking anxious to head outside. "Percy! You should know who it is! It's my stepsi-"

"Piper?" They heard Jason called out. They turned to see him walking down the stairs, a quizzical look on his face. "Why'd you leave me? We were watching TV in my room and then your phone buzzed, and you bolted out of there before I could ask who it was."

Piper groaned and glanced back at the door. "The girl whose coming over to disguise Annabeth and I is going to arrive any minute now-"

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Piper's eyes flashed with excitement and she grinned gleefully. "She's here!"

As she raced towards the door, Percy and Jason shot each other, _what the fuck?_ looks. Jason sighed and looked at Piper. "Pipes, who the hell is coming? You're being exasperatingly vague-"

Piper ignored him and swung the door open, revealing the girl that was going to disguise Piper and I tomorrow.

She was absolutely gorgeous.

She had wavy, silky black hair that reached her waist. She had the perfect amount of curves, and bright, big Sapphire blue eyes that shone warmly. She had perfectly high cheekbones, and long, dark lashes that brushed against them when she blinked. Her lips were a deep cherry red. She had a sharp jaw, and from what it looked like, a nicely toned body. She had a somewhat petite frame, but was not small nor short. She has long legs and a beautiful, kind and serene smile.

The woman looked to be around twenty-five five or twenty-six. She wore a pink, cold-shoulder cross-front shirt, with a flowing white skirt that reached a little lower than mid-thigh. She wore pink colored stilettos, and a white scarf was tied around her neck. Her makeup was done perfectly. White bracelets jangled from her wrists. Her nails were long and colored, that's right, pink. Everything about her radiated pure beauty, much like how Piper did, but this woman embraced that beauty. She looked like the type of girl you wouldn't miss in a crowd. If I would've seen her out in the street, I would've thought she'd be a supermodel herself.

She dropped her bags on the floor as Piper flung herself at her, wrapping her up in a hug. They rocked back and forth, clutching each other tightly. Piper pulled back, her face bright with a smile. "Oh my God, Sil, I missed you so much."

The woman smiled at her, her pearly white teeth almost blinding me. "I missed you too, Piper."

She looked over Piper's shoulder, her eyes landing on Percy and Jason. Her face lit up instantly. "Hey guys!" She greeted merrily. Piper let her go, and the girl came running towards Percy and Jason, wrapping them both in a hug. They both laughed and hugged her back. "Hey Sil," Percy greeted, a wide grin on his face. "Long time no see."

The woman groaned dramatically. "Too long, Percy! Why didn't you ever invite me over?"

Percy smiled at her apologetically. "I've been busy lately."

The girl's lips formed a perfect pout, but then her eyes landed on me, and her sapphire eyes widened to the size of saucers. She gawked at me, blinking rapidly. "It's...it's..." She stuttered, her expression full of disbelief. She turned to look at Percy, then Jason and then Piper, as if trying to confirm that yes, she was looking at-

" _Annabeth Chase?"_ She managed to say at last.

I nodded at her, a grin sliding itself onto my face. "The one and only."

"Oh my God," she breathed. Her sapphire eyes studied me for a bit, full of awe and incredulism. "Oh my God," she repeated, obviously not believing who she was seeing.

Percy chuckled at her. "Sil, you still haven't introduced yourself."

She blinked, snapping out of her daze as she looked baffled. "I'm so sorry! Oh, that was rude of me. It's just, I can't believe it's really you! Piper never mentioned there being a supermodel involved with The Olympians. But anyway, I'm so sorry, that's rude of me."

She stuck out her perfectly manicured hand and flashed me a dazzling grin worthy of a supermodel. "I'm Silena Beauregaurd."

* * *

 **Ok first of all, can I just say how much I _loved_ writing Percy and Annabeth's sword fighting scene? If the actions seemed familiar to you guys, I did base it off of Shadowhunters the TV show. I based if off Clary and Jace's training scene in season 2 episode 12. So if it seemed familiar to you guys, that's why. I don't watch the show, but I do keep replaying that scene over and over again cause it has so many fucking feels in I, I can't even. Besides, I thought it'd be perfect for Percabeth :3**

 **Second of all, Silena's in the next chapter! So be prepared for her. She's awesome. And yeah Sil, we'd all not know how to talk if we met Annabeth Chase.**

 **Well, that's all I have to say, and sorry for taking so long in updating. My schedule is outta whack right now, so I'm sorry for that. But anyway, I love you guys so much ≤33**

 **It's three am, so imma pass out now**

 **~Kat...**


	25. Chapter 24

**Hey my loves! I'm back with another update. But first...can someone tell me why I keep seeing the number 69 everywhere? It's driving me crazy, and starting to creep me out. Like of all numbers I see, why that one? But anyway! Let's jump right into it!**

 **But first, let me recognize my AMAZING reviewers! You guys are asombrosos! ≤33**

 _ **IsleOfFlightlessBirds345:**_ **So, you asked if Percy and Annabeth are going to have any problems in their semi-relationship, and I don't wanna say too much, so I'm just going to say, yes. Sadly they will ): but that's not until a while later, so for now, enjoy the Percabeth we have at the moment! And as for your other question, which is what my favorite book from the PJO series is and why, that's a hard one. I LOVE all the books, but if I had to choose, I'd say The Last Olympian. Just... everything about it is awesome. Percy goes through so many changes in it, and I feel like he matures a lot in it, and I enjoyed reading about those changes. And, of course, Percabeth! They FINALLY get together in that book! I literally stayed up until five A.M reading the last book. I got as far as to when they kissed in the lake, but then my annoying sister got up and turned off the light! So I couldn't read anymore -_- that ungrateful rat. But yeah! I love all the books, but The Last Olympian I might proclaim as my favorite :D**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **You asked me how I can update at around 2-3 in the morning and if I'm superhuman or something XD well, no I'm not, sadly. And I update around that time, because during the day I don't have much time to actually sit down and spend at least two hours writing. My parents are always giving me chores to do, and never let me spend so much time with technology. So, I just end up writing in the night. My goal during the day is to write at least two thousand words, and in the night another two thousand, and so forth. It helps me alot, actually, so I'm fine with updating and writing at that time. Although, it can get pretty creepy, since I'm the only one up at three AM and I tend to hear noises...but I try to ignore them XD**

 _ **niki4ever:**_ **I don't want to spoil too much, so I'm just going to say perhaps. And thanks! I love cliffhangers XD**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Yep! It is her! And wow, youre a fast reader XD and read my reply to Cinder Luna above to know why I update at that time, I know, I know, I'm crazy XD I end up waking up at eleven the next day XD here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! And I will try my best to write that scene of Percabeth in the pool. It'd be cute ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I love Silena too! She's amazing ((: And I'm glad you enjoyed the training scene! I did too! And I WANNA BATHE IN THAT POND :DD**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you so so much! ≤33**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

We were all settled in the dining room, Reyna and Leo setting up the food in front of us. Silena breathed in deeply and grinned fabulously at Reyna and Leo. "Oh my God," she said. "I forgot how good your guys' food smells and tastes!"

Reyna laughed. "Well, now you're here to relive that memory."

Bianca stared at the food set up with a look of interest. "Whatd you guys make?"

Reyna sighed and gave Leo a pointed look. "We'll, we were _going_ to make enchiladas Rojas, but this idiot added to much salt to the sauce for it. So, it was too late to make another batch, so we settled for making mole with arroz and frijoles." **(AN: my favorite food)**

Leo rolled his eyes and grumbled something I couldn't hear. Piper smiled at them. "We'll, whatever you guys make is awesome, so I'm ready to eat."

Reyna and Leo sat down next to each other, and grinned at them. "Well," Leo said with a sly grin. "Dig in, you guys."

Everyone instantly picked up their fork and shoved the food into their mouths. Silena closed her eyes in bliss. "Oh my God, you guys," she said after she swallowed the bite. "You should start a restaurant of your own."

Reyna and Leo glanced at each other and smiled, Reyna's cheeks flushing slightly. She cleared her throat and shrugged. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. But I'd rather not have a building being blown up because this dumbass forgot to add something in." She elbowed Leo in the ribs and smirked.

Leo rolled his eyes and grinned. "Come on, Rey. I wouldn't cause the building to blow up. I'd cause it to _set on fire."_

Reyna rolled her eyes back at him and reached for a tanish colored circle that was set on a red towel. She ripped a piece off easily and made a little tent with it, scooping up food with the tent and popping the whole thing into her mouth.

The food really was delicious. The thin strips of chicken were covered with a red sauce, with added so much good flavor to it. It was spicy yet had a sweet taste to it as well. I learned to discover that the yellowish grain-like pieces, _arroz,_ Reyna had called them, tasted even better mixed in the the sauce.

Leo got up from his chair, quickly wiping his red stained fingers on a napkin. "I'mma go get some more tortillas," he announced, and then left the room.

Jason set down his fork, and faced Silena, who was eating to her heart's content, but looked as clean as ever. "So, how'd your trip here go, Silena?"

The girl nodded and smiled. "It went great. I had left around ten in the morning and Charlie managed to get one of the gang's airplanes. I had asked my chauffeur to take me to Chicago but told him to leave me in the city. I walked it from there."

Percy frowned. "How much did you have to walk?"

She shrugged and picked up one of the tan colored circles. "It wasn't so far. I only walked for about fifteen minutes."

Piper frowned at her and glanced down at Silena's feet, since she was sitting right next to her. "How can you walk that long in stilettos and _survive_ ?"

Silena flashed her a brilliant grin and winked at her. "I'm amazing that way."

Piper snorted and scooped up some mole and popped it in her mouth. I gave them a quizzical look, wondering how close these to were. "Wait, so, you guys are stepsisters?" I asked them.

Silena tilted her head from side to side. "Well, more like half-sisters. We have the same Mom, but different Dads."

My eyebrows rose. "How'd that happen?"

Piper shivered and grimaced. "Mom never told us. And honestly, I don't think either of us wants to know. But, Silena ended up with us."

Silena sighed and picked at her food. "Yeah. Dad didn't want to have a child, and Piper's Dad didn't have a problem with me, so I ended up living with Piper and her family."

Nico raised and eyebrow at them. "You're Mom is something, all right."

Leo returned with another heap of tortillas, carrying them on another red towel. "What'd I miss?" He asked once he sat down.

Thalia shrugged. "Nothing much. Piper and Silena were just explaining their messed up family to Annabeth."

Piper stuck her tongue out at Thalia and threw her napkin at her. Thalia swiped it aside and smirked at Piper.

Piper rolled her eyes and we continued eating contentedly, laughs and stories filling the air.

* * *

After we were done eating, Percy started announcing who would do what.

"Alright guys," he began. "Thalia and Piper, you're on dish duty-"

"Oh no," Thalia interrupted, narrowing her electric blue eyes at him. "It's _your_ turn, Percy. Just because you're all high and mighty being the gang leader and all, doesn't mean you don't have to do chores."

Piper nodded in agreement. "She's right. So," she smiled sweetly at him. "Get to work."

Percy scowled at them and grumbled under his breath. "Fine," he said.

The girls grinned and high-fived each other, then turned and left the dining room, but Silena went squealing after them, yelling, "Thalia! Let me give you a makeover!"

Thalia groaned from the other room. "Goddammit! I should've washed the damn dishes instead!"

I laughed at their antics and faced Percy.

A giggle escaped my lips at his scowling face, and he glanced at me, his eyes twinkling hopefully. "Help me?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Alright, fine. But after this, we're hitting the pool."

Percy grinned dryly. "Deal."

* * *

Percy and I spent the next hour putting away dishes, washing them, and cleaning up the dining room and the mess of pans and pots and food Reyna and Leo had left in the kitchen.

Percy rolled his eyes as we put away the items, already having finished washing and putting away the dishes. "I've told Reyna and Leo so many fucking times to clean up their shit when they're done, but they never do."

I laughed as I closed the cupboard. "Well, at least they feed you guys. I doubt anyone else in this house knows how to cook."

Percy smirked as he turned to grab another pot to put away. "Jason and Piper tried to make breakfast for us once. They _literally_ set the kitchen stove on fire."

I laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

He nodded, his smile amused. "Yeah. Now we don't trust them being in the kitchen unsupervised, for more than one reason."

I shook my head, a smile on my lips. I really enjoyed spending time with him. But sometimes, he could be so bipolar, it scared me. One second he could be laughing and teasing and being happy, like right now. But if one bad thing comes up, he turns into a whole other person. One that's scowling fiercely and eyes are burning with anger and is slamming his fist against things and cursing senselessly.

Percy finished putting the last pot away, and he turned to me, a playful smile dancing on his lips. "Ready to hit the pool?"

I smirked. "Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, we were entering the room where the indoor pool was. It was long and wide and took up most of the space of the huge room. A couple of pool chairs sat around the room, a blue and white color.

I was instantly hit with the smell of chlorine, and a pleasant feeling washed over me. I don't know why, but I'd always liked the smell of it. It just filled your lungs in a relaxing way, and instantly put you at ease.

Beside me, Percy breathed in deeply. He grinned. "Don't you just love that smell?"

I laughed and nodded, watching with amusement as Percy's face lit up when he spotted the pool.

He had changed into coal blue swim shorts and a simple white T-shirt. His green eyes were bright with glee, and he wasted no time in taking off his T-shirt and running to jump in the pool. The sound of him slicing through the water filled the room, and I laughed as he broke through the water and grinned at me, his black hair plastered to his face adorably.

"Come on, Annabeth! What are you waiting for?" He coaxed, waving me over. "Or is little Miss Supermodel scared of the water?" He teased, grinning at me slyly.

I scoffed and walked over to the nearest pool chair, kicking off my gray sandals. "As if, Jackson. I was taking swimming lessons since I was four years old."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that so?"

"Mhm," I answered, removing my gray loose shirt and tossing it on the chair. I tried to ignore Percy's eyes on me as I took off my clothes, revealing a gray and salmon colored halter top bikini bra and the salmon colored bottom half.

I caught his eye as he smirked at me, but his eyes didn't look me up and down in a perverted way that would make my blood turn cold and make me stiffen instantly. Ok, maybe his eyes did wander, but they didn't linger on a certain place for too long, and I was grateful for that.

I walked over to the edge of the pool and stared down at the water. Percy swam closer to me, the smirk not leaving his face. "Come on, Chase," he said softly. "Didn't you say you've been taking lessons since you were four?"

I rolled my eyes. "Cause I did."

He raised an eyebrow at me and grinned dryly. "Then prove it."

I sighed and crouched on the floor, tentatively poking a finger into the water to test it. I recoiled. It was cold.

Percy chuckled, but remained silent. I huffed and brought my hand out to dip it into the water, when I felt someone grip my arm and tug me into the water. I shrieked in surprise as I crashed into the water, feeling the bubbles of the water tickling my skin. I felt my bare skin go cold instantly, the warmth I once had leaving my body.

I broke to the surface, gasping for air. Percy swam up to the surface as well. He grinned slyly at me, and I instantly glared at him. "You're going to pay for that, Jackson."

Percy smirked and winked at me, his eyes glinting challengingly. "Come at me."

With a low growl, I quickly jumped on him, sending us both underwater. I climbed onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. Percy swam up, breaking us to the surface. He laughed as I tightened my hold on him, not loosening my grip.

"So you wanna play like that now, do you, Wise Girl?" He said. I frowned in confusion, but before I could question the nickname, he flipped forward and dove us back underwater. I lost my grip on him and swam up to the surface, coughing momentarily. Percy came up as well, grinning.

I coughed and raised an eyebrow him. "Wise Girl?"

He shrugged. "You and your smartass retorts."

I rolled my eyes. "You know, that's not really an offensive nickname."

He winked and smiled dryly at me. "Who said I wanted it to be offensive?" Not waiting for an answer, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, tugging my underwater.

He held his grip on me fast as I thrashed and threw wild, playful punches at him. He brought his hands up and tried to tickle my underwater. My thrashing became more consistent then, and I managed to escape his hold, instantly swimming away from him.

When I made it above water, a few feet away from him, I coughed and spluttered. "Really, Seaweed Brain?"

A baffled expression crossed his face. "What the hell? _Seaweed Brain?_ Why _that_ nickname, when you have so many other, better, non-offensive nicknames to choose from?"

I laughed at the look on his face and shrugged. "Well, you seem to love the ocean, and I'm sorry to break it to you, Seaweed Brain, but you can be really oblivious and stupid sometimes." I smiled sweetly at him. "I think it fits you perfectly."

Percy let out a low growl and lunged for me, but this time, I was ready. I swam to the side as he passed me and sliced through the water as fast as I could, but it was hard to do that when you're laughing so hard.

I quickly swam to the other end of the pool, and I glanced over my shoulder to see that Percy wasn't anywhere. Frowning, I stopped. I scanned the pool, trying to find him. "Percy?" I called out. Nothing.

Suddenly, I felt someone wrap their arms around me from behind. I gasped in surprise and tried hard to calm down my racing heart.

"Got you," Percy whispered in my ear, his hot breath fanning my skin.

A shiver ran down my spine from the warmness of him and the coldness of the water. He planted a kiss on my shoulder, and I smiled, turning to face him. He kept his arms around me as I did, and when I faced him, a grin was on his lips.

I grinned back at him. "I guess you did, Seaweed Brain," I whispered.

Instantly, he frowned. I laughed and kissed him, and he responded immediately. I smiled against his lips, and he tightened his hold on me, my body flush against his.

I've never felt more happy.

* * *

Two hours later, I was getting out of the shower again, a smile on my face as I remembered Percy's complaints when we finally got out of the pool.

"We gotta go take a shower now," I had announced as I dried myself.

Percy had pouted adorably, his green eyes sparkling. " _Again?"_

I had laughed and smacked him on the arm with my towel, causing him to grin. "Yes, you nasty. We smell like chlorine. I don't want to be a walking pool."

He had rolled his eyes but grinned nonetheless.

I chuckled at the memory and shook my head. Percy made me feel so happy. So content. Safe. I didn't want to lose those feelings.

I've been trying hard to not start hyperventilating or stiffen when Percy hugs or kisses unexpectedly. _It's Percy,_ I'd tell my beating heart. _He won't do anything to you._

Or would he? I had thought _he_ wouldn't do anything to make me feel uncomfortable, and yet he did. What if Percy's the same?

 _But Percy's not him. Percy shows you utter, genuine respect. His eyes don't linger on certain parts of you when he sees you. He might sometimes look you up and down, but his eyes always return back to yours, and nowhere else._

Right. I shook my head, feeling guilty for comparing Percy to that _monster._ Whenever Percy and I kiss, he doesn't deepen it and make it heated. He keeps it slow, and his hands don't wander. He doesn't make attempts to touch me in places I wouldn't be comfortable with. Percy respects me.

I erased all those other thoughts as I changed into my pajamas. I clicked my phone on to check the time. Eight twenty-five.

However, I didn't just see the time. I saw about ten alerts for missing phone calls, and about twenty text messages. All from Melissa.

I felt my mouth go dry. I hadn't even thought of her from all that's been happening. I promised her I would call her. I never did. And how long had it been since the interview? A month already?

I raked a hand through my damp hair, cursing myself for being so ignorant and forgetful. How could I have not remembered about her? She must be worried out of her mind. And then with the vague answers I gave her? Fuck.

What time was it over there in New York? Six something?

I dialed her phone number, waiting with a beating heart for her to answer. What would I even tell her? _Hey Mel, it's Annabeth. Yeah so, im just hanging out with the most wanted people in America, and I've killed about three people already. Oh, and did you hear about that hotel being blown up? Yeah, I helped cause that. But anyway, I'm fine, you know. I have about an eighty percent chance of dying, but I'm fine! You don't need to worry at all. Say hi to everyone for me!_

I sighed. If only.

"Annabeth? Oh God, Annabeth? Is that you?"

Melissa's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Melissa? Yes, it me," I said shakily. I took a deep breath. I can't sound scared. I've got to sound perfectly at ease.

"Oh God," I heard her sob from the other end. I felt a pang of sadness and guilt. She sounded so scared and relieved. All because of me.

"Are you ok?" She asked, her voice wavering.

"I'm fine, Melissa," I responded, my voice cracking slightly. I cursed myself, but I couldn't help it. Hearing her voice brought so many feelings onto me. I felt an overwhelming feeling wash over me. It was too much. I couldn't get through this conversation without crying.

"Where were you?" She asked shakily.

"Annabeth?" I turned to see Percy poking his head into the room. His eyes were questioning and full of concern when he spotted me. I was sure my eyes were red. They were already stinging with tears. I gestured for him to wait and sit on the bed. His eyebrows furrowed, he complied, quietly sitting down and keeping his eyes on me.

"Annabeth? Where are you?" Melissa asked frantically.

I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes slightly. "I'm in Chicago."

"What?" She asked, her voice panicked. "What are you doing there?"

I tried to ignore Percy's stare and opened my eyes, keeping mine glued to the bed. "Melissa," I started, my voice cracking again. "I'm here to visit some family friends." I felt so guilty lying to her. A tear slid down my cheek, and I made no move to wipe it away.

My eyes shifted to Percy, whose face was pained and troubled. He held out his hand and grabbed my forearm gently, pulling me closer to him. He made me sit in his lap, wrapping his arms comfortingly around me. I leaned into him, my breathing shaky and broken.

"Annabeth," I heard Melissa say on the other end. "Tell me the truth. Are you all right?" Her voice cracked with worry, and I felt another jab at my heart. I couldn't lie to her. But I had no other choice. I was fine. Physically, yes. Emotionally, not that well. But I was fine. I wasnt lying to her when I said I was.

Another tear traced my cheek, and Percy's hand came up to wipe it away. His other hand stroked my somewhat wet hair, and I felt myself relax slightly at his comfort.

"Melissa, I'm fine. Nothing is wrong. I'm safe. Don't worry," I responded, trying hard to keep my voice steady.

"Annabeth, why didn't you call?" She demanded, her voice pained. "You said you would, and when you didn't, I was worried out of my mind. I tried calling your Mother, but she wouldn't answer. I tried to call everyone I knew that knew you as well, but they all said they haven't heard a word from you. Do you know how scared I was?"

"Melissa-"

"Annabeth," she said, her voice wavering. "I almost _called the police_ from how worried I was."

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to keep any tears from escaping. Percy tightened his hold on me, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"Melissa, I'm so sorry. I've been so busy and distracted, I didn't have time to call you. I haven't even checked my phone the past weeks. I wanted to get away from the world for a while. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to have some peace. But Melissa, I'm so, so, so sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry so much," I apologized, my heart filling with guilt and remorse for lying to her.

She took a shaky breath. "I just want to hear you say that you're ok. That you're out of harm's way. That nothing bad is going to happen to you."

 _Its just that, Melissa. I'm not out of harm's way. In fact, I'm putting myself in front of it. I can't say I'm safe._

"I'm ok, Melissa. Nothing bad is going to happen to me," I forced out, the words sending a pang through my chest.

She took a wavering breath. "Ok then. Annabeth, I want you to call me once a week. I want to know that you're safe and ok. Can you please do that?"

I nodded, then realized she couldn't see me nod. "Alright, Mel," I agreed. "I will call you soon."

Her voice cracked as she said these last four words. "I love you, Annie."

Tears streamed my face. "I love you too, Mel," I whispered, but she had already hung up.

I put the phone down, my arm numb. My shoulders shook silently as I cried, feeling so much guilt and longing. I thought I was done with crying, but I wasn't.

I never would be.

* * *

 _Annabeth walked into the studio, an awestruck look on her face as she watched the photographers shoot pictures of gorgeous girls in all directions. The women looked confident and perfectly at ease, putting on flashy smiles as they posed for the cameras._

 _Annabeth smiled. She would be doing this as well. But first, she had to meet her manager. The one that would have to decide what goes on in Annabeth's career._

 _Annabeth was excited and bubbling with happiness as she walked around the studio. From the few times she'd been here, she'd already felt like it was home._

 _"Miss Chase!" She heard a male voice call behind her._

 _Annabeth turned and smiled at the familiar man by the name of Carlos Martinez, her assigned photographer._

 _He gave her a bright grin and wrapped her in a hug when he neared her. Annabeth, surprised at the affection, tentatively hugged him back. Carlos pulled back and grinned widely at her, gripping her by the arms. "Look at you!" He exclaimed, his voice thick with a Hispanic accent. "Que maravillosa! Gorgeous as ever! How are you?"_

 _Annabeth laughed. "Thank you, Carlos," she said, smiling warmly at the kind man. "And I'm doing very well, thank you. And how are you?"_

 _Carlos's espresso eyes glimmered. "Great, great, thank you for asking. Now come! Ms. Meyers is already here and waiting to meet you!"_

 _Annabeth's smile grew wider. "Oh, that's great! Please, lead the way."_

 _Without another word, Carlos grabbed her by the hand and dragged her through the studio, maneuvering around different stations and photoshoots with ease. Green screens were everywhere, along with models practicing strutting down catwalks, different studio men and women shouting out advice and correcting the models._

 _Finally, Carlos rounded a corner, where a woman stood typing away on her phone._

 _The girl was about twenty five years old, with thick, long chocolate brown hair that reached mid-back, tied up in a high ponytail. She was about Annabeth's height, pretty tall but not too tall. She had a deep tan, with high cheekbones and long dark lashes. The woman looked up from her phone and smiled when she spotted Annabeth. She had startlingly caribbean blue eyes that shimmered light blue, sharp green specks swimming around in them. Her eyes flashed with confidence, amusement, and yet still held a cold look to them. But even with that cold look, a warm smile graced her pink lips, her eyes twinkling._

 _The woman wore dark blue jeans and a black blouse, black stilettos on her feet. She walked towards Annabeth, her ponytail swinging and heels clacking. She thrusted out her hand, her smile still intact. "You must be Annabeth Chase. I'm your manager, Melissa Meyers. Pleasure to meet you."_

 _Annabeth smiled back and shook her hand, surprised by the woman's firm grip. "Pleasures all mine."_

 _The woman smiled, her eyes flickering over to Carlos. She raised an eyebrow. "Carlos, this girl's even more beautiful than you described," she shot Annabeth a wink. "With that pretty face of yours, we're bound to travel the whole planet in less than a week."_

 _Annabeth laughed._

 _Carlos sighed and shook his head, mistified. "Annabeth's beauty cannot be put into words. But, well, now that she took on this career, we'll see what words people come up with to describe her beauty. I bet a hundred bucks they will literally make a new word to describe Miss Chase here."_

 _Melissa smirked. "I'll take on that bet."_

 _Carlos laughed and nodded at Annabeth. "Well, I will see you later, Miss Chase. You have a photoshoot at four thirty."_

 _Annabeth nodded, smiling politely. "I'll be there."_

 _Carlos smiled in return and headed off. Melissa grinned at Annabeth. "Well, Miss Chase, I have a feeling that you're gonna make us some big bucks."_

 _Annabeth laughed, already liking this new manager of hers. Annabeth too, had a feeling, but that feeling was that Melissa and her, would turn out to be very good friends._

 _Melissa opened her mouth to say something, but when she spoke, it wasn't her voice._

 _"Annabeth," she said. The voice was female, and vaguely familiar. "Annabeth, wake up!"_

I jolted awake, my heart racing. I remembered that day like it was yesterday. I had been so happy getting to know Melissa. I had taken a liking to her instantly. But that dream just brought on painful feelings. Feelings I didnt _want_ to feel.

Trying hard to forget the dream, I turned to see Bianca smiling at me.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Time to wake up."

I shook my head, my head pounding all of a sudden. I don't remember ever falling asleep. I just remembered having that painful, guilt-filled talk with Melissa last night, the call ending, and me crying while Percy held me.

"W-what?" I asked, my voice groggy from sleep. "What happened? How did I end up in bed? Where's Percy?"

Bianca chuckled and waved her hands in a, _slow down,_ motion. "Woah there, calm down. I'm not sure exactly what happened, cause I wasnt here, but all you need to know is that you fell asleep, and Percy tucked you into bed. And Percy's downstairs eating breakfast with the others. He wanted you to have some rest, and then sent me up here to wake you up," she explained.

I raked a hand through my hair, my eyelids still heavy with sleep. "What time is it?"

Bianca shrugged. "About eleven forty-something."

My eyes shot open fully. I looked at Bianca incredulously. " _Eleven-forty?"_

Bianca nodded and smiled, waving dismissively. "Don't worry about it. The others agreed you needed proper rest, so waking up this late is no big deal. You needed that rest."

I sighed, but a small smile slipped it's way onto my lips. "Well, thanks then."

Bianca grinned and nodded, then got up from the bed and started walking towards the door. Before she could reach it though, Bianca's grin brought a thought and memory into my head.

"Hey, Bianca?" I called hesitantly.

She turned, her warm smile still intact. "Yeah?"

"About today...you don't really want to stay here, do you?"

Bianca's smile wavered, a sad glint in her eyes. She sighed and shook her head, walking back over to the bed to sit down. She remained quiet for a while, looking down at the comforter of the bed.

"No," she said quietly at last. "I don't."

I stared at her, dawning on me that Percy must always ask her to stay at HQ and monitor things from there. "Percy must always ask you to stay here, right?"

She nodded, her dark eyes flickering up to meet mine. She sighed. "Percy always treats me like a little girl. He never lets me go out and help on these type of missions. Says I'll get hurt and something might happen to me. He never takes me seriously. I've tried talking to him about it, but he always gives me the excuse of caring about me too much to let me do _actual_ gang related things. Sometimes...I feel as I'm not even part of it." She paused. "After those men came and attacked us, he was so angry. He blamed me for letting those men follow us to HQ after we came back from the mall. He might not show it, but he's still mad at me."

Her voice was so sad, I felt a wave of sympathy wash over me. I had noticed that Percy would leave Bianca out of dangerous missions and most things. But I also understood that Percy just wanted to keep her safe. To him, she was like the little sister he never had. And big brothers want to protect their sisters.

"How old are you?" I asked hesitantly.

"I'm twenty-one, youngest girl in the group."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How old is Nico?"

"Twenty. He's the youngest of us, but Percy actually let's him go on these missions," she replied, her voice sounding forlorn. Bianca sighed once again. "Which also means that my Father's field will be passed down to me." Her eyes flickered back down to the bed, her fingers picking at a loose string from the sheet. "Nico and I barely ever see or talk to our Father. He barely acknowledges us. Our Mother died in an explosion caused by an enemy gang, but even before that happened, he almost acted as if we didn't exist. That's why I want to try my best when he passes the company down to me. I want to make my Father proud. I want to actually _be_ part of the gang. I just want Nico and I to be happy."

I kept quiet, not sure of what to say. 'Sorry,' wouldn't make her feel better. That word has no meaning. When people say they're sorry, they don't actually mean it. They have to have gone through the same experience for them to know how you feel. But I understood Bianca in some ways. My Father barely acknowledged me at all as well, but that didn't stop me from loving him. He was my Father. The one who helped raise me, even if he wasn't always there for me.

"Hey," I said softly. Bianca's eyes raised to meet mine. I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll talk to Percy. Maybe I can persuade him to let you go, either on this mission, or the next one. Don't worry, Bianca, you _are_ part of this gang, whether you know it or not. And what happened that other day wasn't your fault. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Don't blame yourself for it. Girls have to enjoy spending time with each other once in a while. Percy can't stop that. Don't worry, Bianca. You'll be fine."

Bianca smiled at me, a smile full of admiration and gratefulness. She leaned forward and wrapped me in a hug, burying her head in my messy curls. "Thank you, Annabeth. Really."

I smiled, and stroked her long dark hair. I pulled back and gripped her shoulders,my eyes locking with hers. "Your welcome. And Bianca," I gave her shoulders a squeeze. "You will make _all_ of us proud."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent training. I think I trained with every single person in The Olympians. I sword-fought with Percy, (that bastard wouldn't stop flirting and making me feel flustered.) I wrestled with Thalia. I practiced shooting a gun with Jason. Leo helped me practice long-range shooting. I did the obstacle course with Piper. Reyna taught me to fight with different types of weapons. Nico helped in different stances of hand-to-hand combat. And Bianca explained to me the monitoring of different targets, and how they kept track of each one. Silena explained to me how they kept up with training new recruits, and keeping in touch with each. They had higher-ranking members lead different groups and were actually committing crimes all over the states, leaving the emblem of The Olympians in their wake. Interesting.

I was exhausted by the time we finished. I took a nice long shower and wanted to pass out on the bed after I came out. But, like Percy said, once you're in a gang, you learn that you get no rest.

It was already six thirty, and we were downstairs in the living room, simply sitting and waiting as Silena prepared everything. Silence hung in the air, and Percy would occasionally lock eyes with me and smile. He seemed like his normal self before he goes on dangerous missions like these; excited, filled with adrenaline, his eyes determined and slightly angry. The anger part I didn't get, but I wasn't planning on questioning him about it.

Also, Percy didn't mention a word to me about my talk with Melissa yesterday. I was glad, because I don't think I'd be able to get through that conversation without breaking down again. I was tired of that. Everytime I had those emotional breakdowns, I felt drained and pathetic. I couldn't afford to feel like that anymore.

Finally, Silena's heels came clacking down the hallway. She grinned at us, her sapphire blue eyes sparkling happily. She glanced from me to Piper. "Alright girls!" She exclaimed. "Time to make you into a whole other person."

* * *

 **HEYY GUYS! I UPDATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND NOT AT SOME UNGODLY HOUR OF THE NIGHT WHERE I HEAR CREEPY SHIT GOING ON :DD**

 **Yeah, staying up at 2 in the morning and coincedentally looking at the time right when it strikes 3:00 can freak you out. But, at least you guys get your chapters ((:**

 **And poor Bianca ): Damn it, Percy. Why do you have to be such an oblivious asshat and not see Bianca wants to do all that dangerous shit? Who _wouldn't?_ But like Annabeth said, she will make _all_ of us proud. You go girl (;**

 **And hey! I added that Percabeth pool scene, so for those of you who wanted it, your welcome! Also, shits gonna go down in the next chapter 0-0**

 **AND OH MY GODS YOU GUYS! WE'RE SO CLOSE TO 200 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE MY EVERYTHING AND SO AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU ALL! ≤333333333**

 **~KAT :DDDDD**


	26. Chapter 25

**Hey my little angels! I could** ** _not_** **get that stupid grin off my face when I read all your wonderful reviews. You were all so sorry and felt bad for Bianca, and I agree with that one person that said that Percy needs to get his head outta his ass. That one made me laugh so hard XD but don't worry! Bianca will be a fucking boss.**

 **THANK YOU ALL MY AMAZING REVIEWERS AND FOLLOWERS AND EVERYONE SUPPORTING SoL! I LOVE YOU ALL ≤333**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Yep, I actually _love_ to sleep, but my story and you guys come first. It's really funny actually. My eyelids start to feel so fucking heavy, but then I just start writing random crap, and always have to go back and fix it because of how tired I was. It's funny. And thank you! I try my best to not go MIA, and I don't think I'm planning on it. You guys make world so interesting and make me so happy. I _love_ being happy, if you haven't noticed XD and yay! I tried to make that pool scene cute for you guys. And yes, poor Bianca )): and oh gods no! Don't say that )): the thought makes me sad. But don't worry! Bianca will shine :D hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Shilcow:**_ **Yeah... days can be so hectic, sisters can be way too annoying for me to write, and parents just won't lay off. But, oh well, what can you do? That's just life for you. And yes! Bianca will be the baddest bitch of them all (;**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Gahhh! Why are you so amazing and nice? Your kind words literally melted my heart. Thank you so much. And, I tried to incorporate their nicknames somehow, and that pool scene seemed like the perfect place to! I tried to make it as creative as possible, and ass hoping to crack a smile out of you all. And about something bad happening to Annabeth...all I can say is to hold on to your seat. Piper and Annabeth will slay (; and yeah, you will find out Percy's reasoning for leaving Bianca on the sidelines...the reasoning might be sad, so be warned. Bianca may have not mentioned something to Annabeth during their conversation... But Bianca, like Annabeth said, will make us proud :3 and once again, thank you thank you thank you thank you, thank you for your heartfelt words. They mean so much to me. And don't worry! I love it when people ramble XD I hope you enjoy this chapter! ≤333**

 _ **Jessica:**_ **Thank you! And I will try my best to incorporate Bianca more into the story. It's hard because there are so many characters! It can be tricky trying to make each one of them appear in the story for a long period, but I try my best to write their special moments. And things will get interesting between Percy and Annabeth..but that won't happen until some chapters later. And yes! Leyna is on the way, my friend :D**

 _ **Guest:**_ **You, my friend, are the one that made me laugh. I just find it so fucking funny when people swear, I'm weird like that. But anyway, thanks! You will see in this chapter how talented Miss Beauregard is (; and right?! Percy is such an oblivious asshat, he really _does_ need to get his head outta his ass and stop treating Bianca like a child. Don't worry, Annabeth's annoyed at him for that too. And your concept is so right. But don't you worry, Bianca will be a fucking queen. She'll have everyone that's reading cheering for her when you see what she does in this chapter (; And don't worry about Percy, he has a good reasoning for keeping Bianca away from all the danger, but still. He needs to get his shit together with how he treats her. But he's still so scarred and broken and just wants to protect his family ): you'll see. And, can I get a nickname from you? You're awesome, my friend and have to refer to you as something else and not just, 'guest' :D you made me laugh, and I just _love_ to laugh.**

 _ **niki4ever:**_ **Dont worry about it! Your reviews brighten my day as much as Apollo's chariot does to the whole sky! Thank you so much ≤33 and love you too! ((:**

 _ **TakeMeDown:**_ **Yes! I'm so so so so so happy! I can't stop smiling! My cheeks hurt now XD WE MADE IT :DDDD**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thank you so much! I hope you have an amazing day (or night) as well! ≤33**

 _ **Lovenck:**_ **Im glad you did! I hope you love this chapter as well ≤3**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im glad you loved it! And yeah, with the whack schedule I have for updating, you need to be on the lookout every second, minute, and hour XD so sorry you have to wake up at that time to check XD and I love you too!**

 _ **Drummond:**_ **Im glad you do! And hmm...that sounds interesting. I can't tell you that she'll make a reappearance soon, but all I can say is hold on to your seat (;**

 _ **lol:**_ **Sorry, I couldn't help by writing that in there, cause it's just so damn creepy! And youre right, I am being stalked by a number XD and yikes, you have it worse than me. I'll pray for both of us XD Hope you like this chapter! ≤33**

 _ **istar344:**_ **Ah, damn it! I was going to add that, but it slipped pass me :/ don't worry, if they do go in the pool again, I will definitely add that. And oh my gods, thank you XD I'm so glad you love this story so much. I write it for you guys (; and if your friends do read it, tell them I said hi :D and yes! I finally did it XD And hmm, a word to describe the pool scene for Percy... absolutely breathtaking (; and as for your other question, yes, the others already got the idea that they are, but they're trying not to make too big a of a show. Yes, Percy and Annabeth are dating now, but keep in mind, they will _not_ and _do not_ love each other. Them dating is a way to heal each other for the better, and since they've both got broken hearts, dating will help heal them ((: that's basically what their relationship is about...for now ((;**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Well then, welcome to the family! It's ok, you don't sound like an idiot, I wouldn't know what to say either XD I hope you liked this story so far though! Greetings from Illinois ((:**

 _ **Aesir Cemil:**_ **Im glad you do! And alrighty then ((: hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you! And for your question about me having an updating schedule, right now I don't, since I'm on summer break. Now that I have free time on my hands, I just update whenever I can, so you have to keep an eye out for that XD but, once I return to school I will be updating every Friday ((:**

 _ **KELP-HEADED-IDIOT:**_ **All right, thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Silena was even fussier over our makeup and stuff than my professional makeup artists themselves.

Piper and I couldn't even look at anything but the mirror in front of us or else she'd snap at us. "Don't move your eyes!" She'd hiss. "Then I can't focus on what eyeshadow to put on to make your contacts pop."

Before she'd started, Silena had already picked out our contacts and made us put them on. Piper wore some seafoam green contacts while I wore some espresso brown colored contacts.

Silena was fussing over our makeup now, her hands working furiously but with surprising swiftness and ease. One second she'd be holding a bottle of contour, and the next I'd see her with a mascara bottle. If she ever said that she could do this in her sleep, I wouldn't doubt her for a second.

Piper complained through the whole thing.

"Silena! I think that's enough of whatever shit that is. I feel like my face weighs twenty pounds already," she'd whine.

"Piper, knock it off," Silena scolded. "Don't be such a drama queen."

"Fuck you, Sil."

"Hm, no thanks. Im good."

Pretty soon, Silena had finished with our makeup.

She clapped her hands happily. "Alright! Now, time for the clothes." She all but shoved us out of the chairs, ushering us into two different rooms. We were currently in an empty room the others didn't use, but it had soon been converted into Silena's salon in about ten minutes.

About three minutes later, she opened the door slightly to the (closet?) I was in. To be honest, I really didn't know where in hell she had shoved me into, but me trying to figure out where I was was interrupted when the clothes Silena had picked out for me were flung at my face. She quickly closed the door, and I heard her pink stilettos clacking over to the closet Piper was thrown into.

I studied the clothes she had picked out for me. A gray, off the shoulder sweater dress that reached about mid-thigh, it seemed. She had also shoved in some black fishnet tights, and gray Suede, knee-high boots. A black scarf was also shoved in. Shrugging, I quickly slipped into the clothing, loving how soft the material of the dress was.

I stepped out of the closet, and right when I closed the door behind me, Piper stepped out of the closet she had dressed in. Her disgusted and horrified expression made me laugh.

Piper was sporting a tight white jean skirt that reached just above mid-thigh, making her bronze skin glow. She wore a light pink Chloe Crop top, also wearing some light pink fishnet tights as well. Settled on her feet were white wedged heels.

"Oh my God," she blanched. "What the hell are you making me _wear?"_

Silena ignored her and sized us up, a gleeful sparkle in her blue eyes. She clapped her hands. "You girls look fabulous. But, we still need the most important part." Silena strode over to the desk that she had set up all her supplies on, picking up black and brown colored scarves. Wait... Not scarves. _Wigs._

"Fuck my life," Piper groaned, rubbing her temples with her index fingers. I laughed and bumped her shoulder.

"Come on, Piper. It's not _so_ bad."

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Easy for you to say. Your whole career is like a big dress up game."

I chuckled and shook my head. Silena grinned at us and handed Piper and I our wigs. Piper got the nicely curled, dark brown hair. I got the perfectly curled, yet wavy jet black hair.

Knowing what to do, I simply tied my hair up in a neat bun, not wanting any of my blonde curls to be peeking out and risk someone catching a glimpse of them. I pulled the surprisingly comfortable wig on, adjusting it nicely.

Silena grinned at me and walked over, grabbing a tuft of the hair and bringing it to the front, letting the long curls tumble down my shoulders. She smoothed out the top and sides, and smiled in satisfaction when she was done.

"Silena," Piper whined pathetically. "I can't put this damn thing on."

I stifled a laugh as I watched her struggle, effectively tangling her choppy hair in the process.

Silena rolled her eyes and muttered some unflattering words about her half-sister, and walked over to her. She yanked the wig Piper had managed to tangle into her hair, causing Piper to shriek in protest.

Unable to contain my laughter, I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled into it. Piper shot me a glare, and more giggles came spilling out. "Sorry, sorry," I said through laughs. "I'll just...go."

Laughing, I strode out of the room and headed downstairs to round up with the others.

* * *

I walked into the living room, where I spotted Percy and Jason laughing at whatever they were talking about. Reyna and Leo were talking, Reyna occasionally blushing at something Leo said and proceeding to punching him in the arm. The sight made me smile.

Bianca and Nico were bickering about something, Nico occasionally scowling and Bianca grinning and giving her brother a hug. Watching how happy Bianca looked made me feel a twinge of annoyance towards Percy. That just reminded me of having to talk to him.

Thalia was blasting music on her phone, and even though she had earbuds on, I could still hear it clearly. How she was not deaf yet, I don't know.

I strode in, the heels of my boots clacking against the floor, catching Percy's attention. His eyes flickered over to me, and they widened, a grin appearing on his face. His eyes scanned me up and down, but instantly returned to my face, his green orbs brighter than usual. He stood up. "Wow. Silena did an awesome job. I can't even tell whether your Piper or Annabeth."

I laughed. "It's Annabeth."

Percy grinned, walking towards me and wrapping his arms around me. "No doubt about that. Even looking like a whole other person, you're still gorgeous. But," he winked at me. "I prefer Annabeth Chase better."

I laughed and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. I heard a low whistle and looked over Percy's shoulder to see Thalia nodding appreciatively. "Damn, Chase," she said, taking one of her earbuds out. "You look hot."

I smiled and tilted my head to the side a bit. "Thank you?"

"Oh my God, Annabeth," Bianca marveled, her dark eyes wide. "You look nothing like yourself at all. I don't even recognize you."

I hadn't looked at myself in a mirror after Silena had finished. I knew I looked different, without even having to look in a mirror, I just didn't know _how much._

I laughed at Bianca's comment. "That's a good thing, right?"

Percy grinned. "A very good thing."

"Where's Pipes?" Jason asked, looking down the hallway I had come from.

I laughed again, remembering her tortured expression when she came out of the closet. "She's having a little trouble. She got her wig tangled in her hair, so Silena's helping her put it on correctly. She should be down soon."

Leo snickered. "I can only imagine how horrified she must look right now. Heels and short skirts aren't exactly her thing."

I nodded and pushed down any more laughter threatening to escape my throat. "I can tell."

I glanced over to Bianca, who was smiling at me, yet there was a forlorn expression in her eyes, jogging me back to the memory of having to talk to Percy. She couldn't be left here again. It wasn't fair.

"Hey," I said to Percy in a low voice. "I have to talk to you."

His eyebrows furrowed. "About what?"

"Just come on," I took his hand and began dragging him out of the room. "We'll be back guys!" I yelled over my shoulder.

"Yo, Perce!" Leo shouted from the living room. "Try not to mess up her make-up and clothes too much!"

Percy rolled his eyes as snickers and laughs were heard from the living room.

I dragged Percy into the kitchen, shutting the door to it behind me. I faced him as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at me.

"What's up?" He asked, his expression quizzical.

My eyes couldn't help but scan his frame, his whole posture and look radiating "bad boy." He wore a black shirt with a sleeveless leather jacket over it, exposing his muscular arms. He wore black jeans, a silver chain dangling from the side of it. His sea green and black bandana was wrapped around his messy black hair. Black, fingerless leather gloves were settled on his hands. His sea green eyes were calm, yet dangerous at the same time, making me glad he wasn't planning on coming after _me._

 _Focus, Annabeth. You have to convince him to let Bianca go. She deserves this. You have to complete your promise to her._

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. I locked eyes with him. "Why don't you let Bianca go on this mission?"

Percy's face was expressionless. His eyes held no emotion as I spoke these words. He didn't shift uncomfortably. He kept his posture the same. He didn't wince. He remained impassive.

I wanted to slap him for that.

Percy said nothing for a while. His eyes kept locked on mine, and I refused the urge to look away. I had to show him I was serious about this.

Finally, he sighed. "Annabeth, I don't want her to get hurt."

I rolled my eyes and let my hands slap against my thighs. "Percy, that's not fair. To her, nor to anyone. She's part of this gang. We all are. We all have a risk of getting hurt. She knows that. Percy, she wants to do this. She's tired of always getting left behind to monitor things. She told me she feels as if she's not even part of The Olympians. You need to let her. Why don't you?"

Percy shifted, causing his chain to jingle. He ran a hand through his hair, all the while not breaking eye contact. His eyes narrowed. "Annabeth, when you talked to her, did she even tell you what happened the last time I let her go on a mission?"

I sighed, leaning against the counter opposite of his. "No," I admitted.

"Of course she didn't," Percy said, his expression pained for a second. "She doesn't like to. None of us do. The last time I let her go...she was almost killed."

Percy sighed. "It happened two years ago. She was only nineteen. We were on a mission to ambush a man at his mansion. The Olympians had made a deal with him. He was supposed to give us drugs and weapons, but during the exchange he betrayed us and killed the three gang members I had sent. So, I had took Jason, Thalia, Reyna, Nico and Bianca with me to get the drugs and weapons and money he had took from us, and kill the guy. One of my other gang members, Grover Underwood, had been waiting in our van hidden near the mansion, there for a fast get away. Jason, Thalia and Reyna had gone to retrieve the drugs, money and weapons, while Nico, Bianca and I went in search for the guy. I had told them both to wait for my signal before entering the room, but Bianca didn't listen. Before I could even say anything, she barged in there. Right when she entered, we heard a shot. The guy we were supposed to kill had shot Bianca in the thigh. Nico, enraged, had beat and slashed at the guy senselessly. He killed him."

Percy paused, grimacing. "Nico and I had to haul Bianca out of there and to the car. She was losing a lot of blood, and fast. We barely made it to the hospital. If we hadn't arrived in time, she would've died from blood loss. From then on, I wouldn't allow her to go on any missions. I didn't want her to get hurt anymore."

"But Percy-"

"Annabeth," he said, cutting me off. His eyes were sad, and he was clenching his fists tightly. "I've known Bianca my whole life. Ever since she was a baby, I've always been there for her and Nico. Bianca was like the little sister I never had. I wanted to do everything in my power to protect her. After I lost my Mother," his voice broke, and he dropped his eyes to the floor. I felt a pang of sadness and guilt in my chest. Why hadn't I realized it sooner?

"After I lost her," he continued, his voice full of pain. "I couldn't bear to let anyone else I loved get hurt or killed. Bianca was- _is_ my little sister. I don't want to see her get hurt. I don't want to lose anyone else I care about. That's why I don't let her go on missions anymore."

I was quiet for a while, simply letting all the guilt seep in. Why didn't I realize it? Percy sees Bianca as a sister figure. He lost his mother. He doesn't want to lose anyone else he thinks of as family.

But still. It isn't fair. Sure, Bianca's life is at risk, but she _knows_ that. She wants to prove herself. She wants to show Percy that she can take care of herself. She wants to show and do something that proves she's _actually_ part of The Olympians. It's not fair if Percy leaves her on the sidelines.

"Oh, Percy," I said quietly, walking over to him and wrapping my arms around him. I dug my face in his shoulder, stroking his leather-clad back. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

He snaked his arms around me as well, holding me flush against him. He sighed. "It's fine, Annabeth. I just-its hard to let Bianca go. She's a sister to me. I can't afford to lose another family member."

I pulled back, bringing my hands up to cup his face. I locked eyes with him. "Percy, I _know_ its hard. You don't want to see your family get hurt. I get that. But Bianca has _all_ of us to protect her. You can't put that responsibility on your shoulders only. It's not fair to you, nor any of us. You need to let her go. Bianca's learned from her mistakes. She'll do good. You just watch."

Percy remained quiet for a while, his face troubled. I could see the doubt in his eyes. Even if I told him all of this, I couldn't promise that she wouldn't get hurt. All of us have that risk. Percy needs to learn that that's just how things work in a gang. He of all people should know that. He's a gang leader himself. He needs to learn how to cope with people's deaths, especially since being in a gang involves a lot of that. Percy took responsibility of being gang leader. He knows those risks. He just has to embrace them.

Finally, he sighed. "Why do you have to be so smart?" He whispered, a small smile on his face.

I smirked. "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. I have to be smart."

* * *

We walked back into the living room, and Percy cleared his throat. All eyes turned to him instantly.

"Change of plans," he said, his eyes flickering over to mine. I nodded. "Bianca will be coming with us on the mission. We need someone else to monitor things from here."

The room was quiet, and I watched as everyone shared uneasy looks with each other. Bianca caught my eye, and I winked at her. A smile spread on her lips. _Thank you,_ she mouthed. I grinned at her and nodded.

Jason cleared his throat. "Uh, Perce? Are you sur-"

"Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure," Percy said, his voice sounding slightly strained. "Now, anyone wanna volunteer?"

Nico raised his hand. "I'll stay. I didn't wanna go on this hunt in the first place. Besides," he shot his sister a small smile. "I think it's a good idea for her to go."

Percy nodded. "Alright then. Nico will be staying here and monitoring things with Silena."

Nico made a sound like he was choking. "Wait-what?"

"This is so fucking uncomfortable!" Piper's voice wailed down the hallway. Silena's heels clacking against the floor were heard right behind her.

"Oh, shut up!" She chided. "Beauty hurts."

Piper walked into the room, fidgeting with her fishnet tights. Jason's eyes widened as he stared at her, his eyes scanning her up and down. "Woah... Piper," he breathed.

"Holy shit," Leo muttered. "Where'd Piper go?"

Piper glared at him. "Reyna? Can you do me a favor and smack him for me? If I take another step I'm going to faceplant the floor."

Reyna smiled sweetly. "Gladly," she swiftly slapped him across the face, leaving a nice red mark in his cheek.

"What the fuck?" Leo yelped, his hand cupping his marked cheek.

"I can't go out in public like _this!"_ Piper groaned.

Silena rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, _Piper McLean_ isn't going out in public like that. _Sydney Edwards_ is."

Piper huffed and sat down on the sofa Nico and Bianca were sitting in. "I'm regretting volunteering for this."

Ignoring her, Percy turned to me. "Piper's using the name Sydney Edwards. You're going to introduce yourself as Skye Williams. Got it?" I nodded.

"All right. Oh, and also, Thalia and Jason, you're going to go to our other warehouse to train the other members. Be back around ten," Percy announced. The two siblings nodded. Percy faced Silena. "Bianca's going with us on the mission. Nico's going to stay here and monitor things with you instead."

Silena's eyes brightened. "Oh, yay! Nico, I could give you some tips for your hair while we wait!"

Nico groaned and buried his face in his hands. He waved miserably, not looking up. "Go, before I change my mind of staying here with Barbie."

Silena scowled. "Hey!"

Percy turned to us, his eyes flickering dangerously. He gave us a dry smile. "Let's go, then."

* * *

Jose Andrades was there when we arrived.

Percy drove the car to the back of the restaurant and into a dark alley, lit up by only a few dim lamps. The gang member was there waiting, leaning against one of the brick walls with his arms crossed over his chest.

Before we had gotten into the van, Bianca had pulled me aside. Her eyes were full of gratitude when she looked at me. "Thanks, Annabeth," she said with a grateful smile. "Percy would've never let me go if you hadn't talked to him."

I had tried not to mention the incident Percy told me Bianca had last time she went on a mission, but I pushed the thought away. Bianca knows what she's doing now.

I smiled warmly at her. "No problem, Bianca. It wouldn't be fair to leave you here like they always do. But just, be careful, okay?"

Bianca nodded solemnly, a bright and happy smile on her face. "Don't worry, Annabeth," she reassured me. "I will."

Now, as Percy parked the car against the opposite wall, I was starting to worry about her.

I pushed away those thoughts away as we got out of the van, the slamming of the car doors being the only sound echoing throughout the eerily silent alley.

Reyna and Leo lead us towards Jose, who was now standing and facing us. The man was tall, but not as tall as Percy, reaching up to Percy's nose. He had coppery skin, with serious and mischevious russet brown eyes. He had curly black hair, and was pretty muscular, for the most part.

Reyna and Leo nodded at him in greeting. "Hola, Jose," Reyna said. Something about her tone had changed, as well as her expression. Her voice was cold, serious, holding no emotion in them. Her face was expressionless as well, her eyes holding a look of authority. She seemed to have straightened, making her look down upon the man.

The man nodded his head. "Hola, Reyna." Reyna stepped aside for Percy to be in his line of vision. He nodded his head as well. "Hello, boss."

The man's voice was thick with a Hispanic accent, and he seemed to have trouble forming just those two words, but he managed nonetheless.

Percy dipped his head just slightly, making me think he didn't nod at all. But he did. Percy's whole demeanor was the same as Reyna's now. Impassive. Cold. Full of regalty. "Hello, Jose."

Percy gestured toward me. "This is Annabeth Chase. She is a member of The Olympians now."

Leo instantly translated. "Esta es Annabeth Chase. Ella es miembro de Los Olympians."

The man's eyes glanced over to me, and something flashed in them. They turned dark for a slight moment, and a look in them I knew all too well appeared in them. I tried hard to think it was the fault of the darkness of the alley. Yeah, that's it.

His eyes scanned me up and down, but unlike Percy's they did not return to my face. Instead, they lingered on various places, and I stiffened instantly, my blood turning cold.

"Tell him to not look at her that way," Percy growled, clearly noticing where this man's eyes lingered.

Reyna fixed her cold eyes on Jose. "El jefe dice no mirarla de esa manera." _Boss says not to look at her that way._

Jose's gaze instantly locked onto the floor. "Por supuesto. Lo siento, jefe."

Leo looked at Percy, his expression slightly nervous and uncomfortable. "He says 'of course. Sorry, boss.'"

Percy merely growled lowly in response, snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me towards him. The way his eyes flashed with controlled anger as he stared at Jose made me weak in the knees. Not from fear. This feeling was... different. I couldn't quite explain it, but the fire in his eyes made my heart start thumping a mile a minute.

"Tell him to tell us everything he knows about Mark Evans and Jayden Harris," he instructed, his voice laced with a cold protectiveness.

Leo turned to face Jose, whose eyes had remained transfixed on the ground. "El jefe dice que nos diga todo lo que sabe sobre Mark Evans y Jayden Harris." _Boss says to tell us everything you know about Mark Evans and Jayden Harris._

Jose's eyes slowly rose, but they did not lock with Percy's. "Mark y Jayden siempre vienen aquí los Domingos. Por lo general se sientan en la esquina del restaurante. El proximo día sale esa informacion de Olympus Enterprises," he said.

Reyna turned to Percy. "Jose says that Mark and Jayden always come to this restaurant on Sundays. They usually sit in the far back corner of the restaurant. The next day, the information Zeus had given Mark leaks out," she translated.

Percy nodded. "Okay. What else?"

Leo faced Jose. "Que mas?"

Jose cleared his throat. "A veces las chicas suben a hablar con ellos, y siempre terminan con ellos en su coche. No debería haver ningún problema con que las niñas se vayan a casa con ellos."

Leo nodded and turned to Percy. "He says that sometimes girls go up to them to talk with them, and they always end up going to their car with the men. Jose says that there should be no problems with getting Annabeth and Piper to go to the hotel the men are staying in."

Percy's eyes immediately hardened, but he said nothing. He clenched his jaw. "Is that all?"

Reyna raised an eyebrow at Jose. "Sera todo?"

Jose nodded. "Sí."

"Tell Jose to stay with us in the meantime. He'll be accompanying us to go to Mark and Jayden's hotel rooms," Percy said. He glanced over to Jose, and a suspicious and angry look flickered in them.

 _Whats going on?_

"Quédate con nosotros mientras tanto," Reyna said to Jose. "Cuando llegue el momento, vendrás con nosotros para it a suspicious habitaciones de hotel."

Jose nodded. "Por supuesto, Reyna." _Of course, Reyna._

Percy turned to Piper and I. "All right girls, when you go in there, you have to act completely different. Warm up to the men. Try to get information out of them that could be useful. Try to find out where Mark has been getting more information. Got it?"

Piper and I nodded. Percy sighed. "All right, then. You girls can go now."

Percy looked at me, and his eyes narrowed in worry. I smiled at him. "I'll be fine," I reassured him. I leaned up and gave him a kiss. Percy slinked his arms around me, tightening his hold on me. I pulled back, stroking his cheek with my hand, and then eased my way out of his hold.

I began walking towards Piper, who was smiling reassuringly at me.

"Annabeth," I heard Bianca call out behind me. I turned to see a troubled look on her face. "Be careful."

I smiled at her. "I will, Bianca." I turned towards Piper, who was holding out her elbow and smiling brightly at me.

"Let's go, Skye."

I took a deep breath and mustered up a grin, slipping my arm through her elbow. "Let's go, Sydney."

* * *

The restaurant was pretty full, but not overbearingly so. Piper and I walked up to the lady at the the coffee brown podium, looking around to see if we spotted the two men.

"Hello," Piper greeted with a dazzling grin.

The lady smiled. "How many?"

"Table for two, please," Piper responded. The woman nodded and reached under the podium for two menus.

"Follow me, please," she said, beginning to walk in the direction of a secluded area of the restaurant. The tables there were covered with white tablecloths, the walls a redwood-like brown, with mirror lining up the walls.

I looked at one, and stifled a gasp.

I definitely _did not_ look like Annabeth Chase.

The wig I wore looked so real and looked as if it were my actual hair. Sleek, dark, shiny and long, reaching up to my waist. My lips were a dark, tantalizing red. Silena had put a little brown dot a few spaces next to my nose, just a few centimeters above my lips. The contacts I wore were so dark, they almost looked black instead of brown. Silena put various shades of different browns and blacks around my eyes. The eyeliner she put around my eyelids fanned out into a wing, making my eyes look sharper. My skin tone was a tad shade lighter. My features were more prominent, yet smoother. My eyelashes were dark and long, brushing against my now smooth cheekbones when I blinked. A light pink blush surrounded my cheeks. A nicely blended line ran down my chin, making it look like I had a slight butt-chin, but not unattractively so. My eyebrows had been filled in with a dark color, black, and Silena made them arch nicely and look sharp. She gave me a flirty, yet regal look.

Long story short, Silena did an amazing job.

"I know," Piper said next to me, making me jump in surprise. "You look nothing like yourself. Neither do I. I'm surprised too."

It was true. Piper's features were a lot smoother and softer, making her face look a bit round yet very beautiful. Her dark brown hair reached up to her elbows, light curls at the end. Her eyes were startling, the contacts catching the attention of any person. Her lips had been colored a carnation pink, contrasting great with her coppery skin tone. A light pink blush was brushed across her cheeks. Her cheekbones were more smoother.

Again, Silena did an awesome job.

"Silena should work as a professional makeup artist for models," I commented, not looking away from my reflection.

Piper groaned. "Oh God, please no. The gang and I will never hear the end of whose makeup she did and all that shit. Don't give me another reason to ask how we're related."

I laughed. "All right, all right, fine."

"And here's your table," said the lady that had lead us to our table. It was huddled in a corner, away from the view of people. Perfect.

"Thank you," I said, giving her a warm smile.

The woman nodded and walked away, leaving Piper and I to sit down at our table. We were positioned where we could see who walked through the entrance, but so when the people walked in, they couldn't see us.

"We were lucky to be seated at this table," Piper commented, as if reading my mind.

I nodded. "Yeah. Now let's see if they show."

Piper scrunched up her nose. "What time is it, anyway?"

I took out my phone and took a quick glance at it. "It's eight already. They should be here any minute now."

Piper rolled her eyes, propping her head up on her palm. "If the two bastards don't show, I'll find them ad kill the both for wasting my time on letting Silena use me as her dress up doll."

I laughed. "Calm down. They'll come. You just watch."

Piper sighed, yet a smile danced on her lips.

My thoughts flickered back to earlier about our talk with Jose. I remembered the way Percy's eyes had glinted with suspicion whenever he looked at Jose. It made me nervous and wondered what was up with him. What did Jose do?

"Hey, um, Piper?" I started hesitantly, picking at the table cloth with my long, red fingernails.

Her eyes flickered up to mine. "Yeah?"

"Did something seem...a bit off to you about Jose?"

Piper's eyes widened slightly, and she crossed her arms over the table. "A little...Percy seemed to not trust him. I can already tell that Percy doesn't like the guy. He must've noticed something about him...but I'm not exactly sure what."

I nodded, absentmindedly twirling the end of one of my curls with my finger. "I noticed that about Percy too...but I can't put my finger on what might be wrong about Jose."

Piper sighed. "You and me both. I guess we'll just have to be careful. But also, Reyna and Leo seemed to know the guy. If they trust him, by which I mean if _Reyna_ trusts him, I think we'll be fine."

I picked up a napkin settled on the table and began shredding up the pieces, letting the thin strands fall into a white mountain on the table. "Maybe you're right."

I felt her kick me in the shin, her eyes glimmering mischeviously. "Girl, I'm _always_ right."

I rolled my eyes, but I felt the corners of my mouth lifting up. "I don't think having to kick me to tell me that was necessary."

"Well, _I_ think it was."

I frowned mockingly at her, and the waitress took that time to walk up to our table. "Hello," she greeted happily. "I'm Yasmine, and I'll be your waitress for today. Can I get you two anything to drink?"

Piper smiled at her. "I'll have a simple water, thank you."

"And I'll have a lemonade, if you will," I responded, smiling dazzlingly at the waitress.

Yasmine nodded and quickly wrote our responses down. "I'll be back with your drinks in a couple of minutes." With one last smile, she left.

"Well," Piper said as we watched her leave. "She seemed nice. A little _too_ nice if you ask me."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you thinking?"

She shrugged, her eyes narrowing as she stared after Yasmine's retreating figure. "Possibly an assassin. Maybe a gang leader. Oh! You know what? She could be a drug dealer."

I choked down a laugh. "Seriously?"

She nodded, a serious expression on her face. "Yep," she said, popping the 'p.'

Not being able to contain it, a laugh escaped my throat. Piper instantly cracked a grin and winked at me. I shook my head. "You're ridiculous."

She scoffed leaning back in her chair. "Am not."

"Oh really? So you call thinking up different types of crimes that an innocent person could commit _not_ ridiculous?"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh,"

I laughed again and shook my head. "Are you always this sarcastic?"

She smiled widely. "I'm known for my sarcasm."

"I believe that," I laughed.

Yasmine returned with out drinks, setting them on the table and giving us a quick smile before leaving.

"Yep, " Piper said, leaning back to take a sip of her water. "Definitely an assassin."

I crack a smile and shake y head softly before taking a sip of my lemonade. I happen to glance over to the entrance of the restaurant, and almost choke on my lemonade.

Mark and Jayden.

"Piper!" I hiss, kicking her in the shin with my boot.

She shoots me a look before I nod over in the direction of the entrance. Her eyes follow my gaze, and when they land on the two men, her eyes widen and a dry smile appears in her lips. "Well, well," she says slowly, setting down her water in the table. "They showed up after all."

I nodded, watching the two men be lead to a table out of our line of sight. They seemed about in their mid-thirties, but not too old.

I turned to Piper. "We should wait until they at least order their drinks to go up to them. If we wait for them to order food, that'd take too long."

Piper nodded. "All right. In about five minutes I'll pretend to go to the bathroom to see if they've gotten them."

"Okay, sounds good," I responded, leaning back in my chair and picking up my lemonade.

"Wait," Piper frowned. "What if the waitress comes back and we're not here?"

I shrugged. "I'll just leave her money on the table to pay for just the drinks. Besides, she should be back soon to take our food order, so we need to be quick about this."

Piper bobbed her head in agreement, taking a slow drink of her water.

I set down my lemonade, the thought of Bianca coming back to mine. "I'm worried about Bianca," I admitted.

Piper sighed and nodded. "I am too. We haven't let her go on a mission like this in a long time. Well, Percy hasn't."

"He..he told me what happened to her the last time she went."

"Ah," Piper said, studying her glass of water. She shook her head sadly. "We were all so scared. We didn't know what would happen to her. She lost a lot of blood."

She looked up at me. "Im surprised Percy even let her go."

I exhaled through my nose. "Bianca came to me this morning. She said that she didn't even feel like she was part of The Olympians. She said Percy was always treating her like a little girl. She was tired of that," I glanced up at her. "Piper, all she wants to do is make her father proud. She wants to do something that will actually show she's part of this gang. It's unfair to her and the rest of us that she has to get left behind all the time."

Piper sighed. "I know that, Annabeth. Bianca's always been like that. Her and Nico... life's not always easy for them. I can't recall a time when I've ever seen Hades talk to them or give them a call. And with their mother's death...it's hard." She gave me a smile. "But don't worry about her. She'll be fine."

I gripped the cold and watery glass of my lemonade. "I _know_ she'll be fine. But I don't think Percy does."

Piper shook her head, her eyebrows knitting. "Percy's a whole other story. Sometimes he can be way too overprotective, especially over Bianca. It makes things hard for us. But, we can't blame him. With everything he's been through, he has no choice but to be protective."

I nodded slowly, my grip tightening on the hold of my glass. Percy...his whole life, he's been put in harm's way. Even with everything that's happened to him, he always manages to look calm and perfectly fine. It's called putting up a facade, something I know how to do all too well.

"Well," Piper stood up, pushing in her chair. "I'mma go see if they've gotten their drinks yet. Be back in a sec."

I waited patiently for Piper to come back. I didn't drink anymore or my lemonade. I felt that if I drank any more, I'd have to go empty out all that liquid in the bathroom. My stomach was churning uncomfortably. I ran my fingers down the dripping wet glass of the drink, leaving clear lines across it. My fingers were cold. They felt numb. I wiped them across the tablecloth, not feeling anything as I did so. I remembered this feeling. It was the same way I felt on that horrible night. Numb. Emotionless. Cold. Blank.

Absolutely powerless.

Piper quickly came back, picking up her purse from her seat. "They got them already," she swung her purse over her shoulder, slapping a ten dollar bill on the table. "Let's go."

I nodded and stood up, swinging my purse over my shoulder as well. That cold numb feeling stayed with me.

It scared me.

Piper and I began walking towards the men, plastering flirty smile on our faces.

Even as we approached them, I couldn't help but feel that something was about to go terribly wrong.

"Hello. I'm Sydney Edwards, and this is my friend Skye Williams. Do you mind if we join you?"

* * *

 **Yayy! Another chapter is here! This one was so much fun to write. I absolutely adore Piper and Annabeth's relationship in the books, and I really enjoyed writing them together in this chapter. So, what'd you guys think? Why does Percy seem so suspicious about Jose? Why does Annabeth feel like that? Will Bianca kick some ass in the next chapter? Who knows...?**

 **Also, did anyone watch 13 Reasons Why? DID YOU GUYS HEAR THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A SECOND SEASON? IM DYING BCUZ OF THAT NEWS! OMFG**

 **But anyway, I based off Piper and Annabeth's looks in these two lovely women:**

 **Annabeth: Emeraude Toubia (I fucking love her so much)**

 **Piper: Brenna d'amico (but with a darker skin tone like Piper's)**

 **So, feel free to search them up to get an idea on how Annabeth and Pipes look ((:**

 **Next chapter will be up soon! Then I'll go back to my regular updating schedule on Fridays )): summers coming to an end, my friends. I'm sad now.**

 **I love you all.**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	27. Chapter 26

**Hey my loves! So...I'm really excited for this chapter. A warning for now; shits gonna go down, so watch your asses. Imma just go for it, cuz I'm boring and have nothing else to say...so yeah!**

 **I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WITH EVERY FUCKING LIVING FIBER IN MY BODY! You guys are da best :3**

 _ **niki4ever:**_ **I'm glad my endings leave you feeling that way! I try my very best on them X3 and yes! Go for it ((: if you do, I'll be there to read it and give you any advice you need ≤3 and you'll find out what happens in this chapter! Luv you too! ≤33**

 _ **istar144:**_ **So happy to hear that! I absolutely LOVE an overprotective Percy (; and hmm...that's a good guess... you'll find out in this chapter! And I go back to school August 23rd, you're so lucky! I don't wanna go back ):**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Glad you enjoyed it my friend! Hope you like this chapter as well ((:**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Yeah.. that Jose guy is a little sketchy..and Reyna is aquianted with the guy...not so much _trusts_ him, but knows the guy. And yes, Bianca should, but even she doesn't know Percy's real reasoning behind it. Annabeth hadn't thought about Percy's Mother, but trust me, if she did, she wouldn't have asked the question like that. And yep, I absolutely _love_ a bad boy/mean Percy (; and really? I can too in Piper and Nico's situation, it's just funny XD Your kind words mean so so much to me, so thank _you_ for all your motivation. I try my very best to pour out all my emotions into my writing. In some ways, I can relate to the characters, which helps me so much. Thank you for being so kind, it means so much to me ≤333**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Oops...yeah, the period of time we have for summer break is never enough. Glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one! :D**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Glad you like it! Don't die on me XD**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Heres the next chapter for ya! ≤33**

 _ **heeyyyyy:**_ **Happy to see that you enjoyed it! I try to make my cliffys as torturous as I can ;D hope you like this chapter as well! ≤3**

 _ **Jess:**_ **Well, nice to meet you, Jeff XD and right? Annabeth's slaying our entire fucking existence, and she's gonna keep doing that :D also, in glad you got hit with them feels, they're everything to me XD and ikr? Who _is_ this Jose guy? You're right, he's a fucking pervert. If he looks at Annabeth like that one more time, Percy won't hesitate to kick his ass ;D and omfg, your comment about him being a mole made me laugh so hard, I woke up my sister XD you'll find out if the ass is working for the bad guys in this chapter. And maybe...he could be the mastermind behind it all...he might not be. Who knows? Well, I do, of course. And oh God no, I hope none of us are Jose, that'd be the end of the human race if we were, *shudders.* Glad you liked the chapter, Jess! Jeff, whatever you wanna be called XD And you will see Queen Bianca in action ;DD so be prepared for that!**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thanks you so much! I try to connect all the characters feelings towards one another to get the best results possible ((: I hope you enjoy this chapter ≤33**

 **You guys a literally da bomb**

 **Disclaimer: No hoe, I don't own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I tried hard the whole time not to hyperventilate.

After Piper had asked if we could sit down and join them, the men had exchanged glances and smiled charmingly at us. They told us to go ahead, and here we were. Talking to them and getting to know them.

They were polite enough, but I knew all too well that they were just putting up an act. A facade. I knew about when people put those on. I should know, I do it all the time.

"So," Mark said after a while, his eyes glancing from me to Piper. "Are you girls from the city?"

Piper smiled dazzlingly at them, and I tried not to snort at how disgusted she looked while the men weren't looking at her. "Yes, we are," she said. "Skye and I live in an apartment downtown, so not too far from here."

The men nodded, and Jayden raised an eyebrow at us. "Do you ladies come here often?"

I shook my head, plastering a grin on my face. "Oh no, this is the first time we've ever been to this restaurant."

"Is that so?" Jayden asked, his eyes scanning my frame. I clenched the end of my sweater dress tightly, trying hard to keep my breathing even.

"Oh, but enough about us," Piper said, waving a hand dismissively. "I hear you two work for a big company, an I right?"

Mark grinned cockily. "That is correct. I run the company Airline Corp. Jayden here is my second-in-command. The companies getting bigger and bigger each passing week."

I nodded and smiled. "And why is that?"

Jayden sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, good information can do wonders for you."

Piper's eyes flashed with irritation, but she covered it up with a flashy smile. "Information from where?"

Mark smiled slyly at her, but there was a look in his eye that was making me uncomfortable. My mind was screaming _run,_ but for once, I couldn't follow what my head was telling me. I had to remain calm and finish what we were sent for.

"Well, Miss Edwards," Mark said, leaning over the table closer to her. "Some information can't be given out either."

Piper pouted playfully, but under the table I could see her clenching her fists, probably trying to restrain herself from punching this guy in the face. "I'm sure you could share that information with us. We'd like to get you two handsome men better. Maybe even go to your hotel room? Surely you would want to spend some time with us there," she said, drawling out her words perfectly.

Jayden smirked. "And what exactly would go on there?"

I grinned and flitted my eyelashes, when all I wanted to do now was the flip this table on the the men and run for it. "That's for you men to decide," I said, letting my voice drop slightly.

The business men shared a look and smirked. Mark faced us. "I don't see why not," he glanced at Jayden. "What do you think, Jayden? Should we take them home with us?"

Jayden smirked dryly and studied me, and I almost let out a growl as terrifying as Percy's, but I restrained myself from doing so, settling for smiling flirtatiously.

"Why, of course. I'm sure we'll have a lovely time there," Jayden responded, taking out his wallet and slapping fifteen dollars on the table and winking at us.

"Well then," I said, grinning at the men. "Let's go then, shall we?"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, we were at the hotel.

The men led us inside, grinning arrogantly as they strolled us up to their hotel room.

"When did you two arrive in Chicago?" Piper asked, a fake-ass smile molded onto her lips.

"We arrived here on Friday afternoon," Mark answered, stopping in front of a certain room and pulling out the keys. "Harris and I normally stay in different hotels whenever we meet up in the city."

He unlocked the door, swinging it open to reveal a spacious room that was mainly modern-styled modern-styled. Solid, dark colors with splotches of white here and there. Sleek furniture. Beautiful view of the city of Chicago, the lit up buildings casting a gorgeous glow in the night time sky.

"The view is marvelous," Piper murmured, her eyes shifting from one detail to the next in the room.

"It is, isn't it?" Mark sighed, smiling at the skyline. "I absolutely adore Chicago. So much going on here. Beautiful places to visit. Great food. Everything is just wonderful."

"Do you have anything in particular that you like about this city? A place or restaurant?" I asked curiously, sitting down in one of the sofas.

Mark turned to me, his eyes flashing with a look that made me uncomfortable. "Well, I do love The Rosebud, for one. I also love going to Navy Pier. So much to see there. So many people to meet."

Jayden nodded, smiling dryly. "Ah yes, Navy Pier. There's music there, food, even shops. But, I do much prefer going to Millennium Park. Nice walks there and everything is just so beautiful. I quite enjoy going there."

"That's nice," commented Piper, still looking around the place, checking her surroundings. She glanced at Mark and Jayden, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features before they returned to their flashy smile.

I was feeling doubtful myself. My stomach was churning uncomfortably. I felt a wave of uncertainty and vulnerability wash over me. I locked eyes with Piper, trying to warn her through silence that something was wrong. We couldn't stay here. We had to go. _Now._

But Piper kept talking.

"What made you two men go into the business industry?" She asked, her gaze straying from my alarmed eyes and settling on the two men.

Jayden smirked. "Many things, actually. Well, _I_ for one wanted to go into the industry for all the leadership skills it required. I'm a natural leader myself, and I wanted to work with a big company. I like having order over others. I'm an organized person. I know how to follow orders. What better occupation than working in company?"

Piper hummed in response, absentmindedly running her fingers through the ends of her wig. I was worried she might accidently pull too hard and yank the whole thing out, but I ignored those feelings. After all, Silena helped her put it on. As long as Silena had a say in it, I had nothing to worry about.

"What about you, Mr. Evans?" Piper questioned.

The man smiled. "Well, same as Mr. Harris here, actually. I enjoy being in control. I like having a system of how things work. I enjoy air flight, especially since it assists others. The business suits me very well."

Piper nodded, pushing her tongue against the inside of her cheek. "That's interesting. You both made a very good decision of career then. How has it become that Mr. Evans' company has been getting so successful lately?" She asked lightly.

Make shrugged. "It's simply the matter of having people in certain places at the correct time. Setting up different monitors in the right places. The works."

Piper raised an eyebrow, discreetly shooting me a glance. "No wonder you're such a successful man."

Mark nodded and smirked. He leaned against the wall behind him and looked at me. The look in his eyes gave me chills all over, and then I _really_ wanted to go. _Where is Percy?_

Mark raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a cold smile. "And what do you do to be so successful, Miss Annabeth Chase? I'm sure you have secrets of your own."

My heart stopped. _He knows. They both do. They knew we were coming. We're dead._

Piper however, didn't skip a fucking beat.

She let out an airy laugh, as if Mark had just said a hilarious joke. But it wasn't a joke. Not hilarious.

"Skye?" She asked, snorting. "She's not Annabeth Chase the supermodel. Skye is beautiful, yes, but on the level of _Annabeth Chase_ beautiful? Im not too sure on that."

Jayden's mouth twisted into an ugly sneer. "And I suppose you aren't Piper McLean? Daughter of Aphrodite and Tristan McLean? Also a high-ranking member in The Olympians?"

Piper shrugged, and I stared at her with wide-eyes. How could she not be freaking out right now?

She locked eyes with the two men, moving closer to me. She raised an eyebrow at them, her eyes flashing challengingly. "You could say that, but I clearly introduced myself as Sydney Edwards. I suppose you're telling the truth when you say you're Mark Evans and Jayden Harris. But are you sure you're tell the truth when you say you're company is rising on its own? Are you sure you're not stealing valuable information from Zeus Grace? Are you not sending people to spy on him and gather information? We _could_ be lying, but you certainly are."

Mark and Jayden shot each other looks, and for a second I could see a nervous going in their eyes. But just as quickly, it disappeared,, replaced by smirks.

"You have a way with words, Miss McLean," Mark said, walking leisuresly around the room. "But even if you were lying, we know what's going on. We know The Olympians' every move. You shouldn't bother seeking out information. That will just get you all killed."

"And who is 'we,' exactly?" Piper asked, a sharp edge to her voice.

Jayden smirked and shook his head. "Some information isn't meant to be shared, Miss."

Piper's eyes narrowed, flashing with irritation. "It can't, now? One way or another, it will, Mr. Harris, because The Olympians don't give up when they want something. Keep that in mind."

Mark sneered. "And where are these so-called Olympians anyway? How are you so sure they'll show up? They could always leave you here. The Olympians have always abandoned those who are in need, even if they're on their side."

Piper clenched her jaw. "You don't know a thing about The Olympians," she snapped. "So stop talking when you don't know the truth."

"We're talking truth now, are we?" Mark laughed bitterly, his gaze shifting to me. "What's the truth of how you got involved with The Olympians, Miss Chase? I'm sure there's a whole story behind that."

I slowly stood up, trying to keep my expression impassive and calm. "Some information isn't meant to be shared," I said calmly, a cold edge to my voice.

Jayden chuckled dryly. "You know, Miss Chase, you'd be better off on our side. We'd actually give you a chance to talk to your mother. We'd answer all your questions honestly. We'd let you go back to your modeling career and give you that tour in Europe. You'd see your agent Melissa. You'd be out of harm's way."

"Bullshit," Piper growled. "Stop feeding her head with fucking lies. Annabeth is safer with The Olympians than she'd ever be with whatever shit-pack you're involved with."

Mark fixed her with cold eyes, narrowing in irritation. "We weren't directing those words towards you, Miss McLean. After all, you wouldn't want another little shooting to happen at HQ now, would we?"

Piper's face paled, her face a mixture of emotions. Her eyes suddenly flashed with anger. " _You_ fired that attack on HQ?" She snarled, her fists clenching.

Mark laughed airily. "Who, us? Of course not. But our boss certainly did," he glanced at me, his eyes flashing apprehensively. "Speaking of our boss, he'd like to meet you especially, Miss Chase."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I growled, my body itching to best the crap out of these two men.

Mark shrugged. "Maybe not now. But soon, you will. Whether you want to, or not."

"Miss Chase is right," spoke a familiar swoon-worthy deep voice behind me. I almost sighed in relief. I turned to see Percy and the others walking into the living room. Percy's eyes flashed angrily. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Piper turned and gave him a grin and a wink, before turning her attention back to the two business men. I wanted nothing more than to run over to Percy and give him a hug, but I restrained myself from doing so.

I turned my attention back to Mark, who studied Percy with a look of interest, a smirk on his face. "Ah, Percy Jackson. Also known as Riptide, leader of The Olympians. You know, young man, you've been making things quite hard for my group and boss."

Percy glowered at the men. "Who the hell are you working for?"

Jayden sighed. "I'm getting rather tired of having to repeat myself, but as I've told these young ladies before, some information isn't meant to be shared."

"Man, haven't you every heard of, 'sharing is caring?' Why cant that be used now?" Leo said, his expression irked and slightly exasperated.

Ignoring him, Percy glared at Mark and Jayden. "How the fuck are you getting information from Zeus when he never even gave it to you?" He snarled, his expression clearly pissed off.

"Percy," Piper spoke up, keeping her gaze locked on the two men a few feet away from us. "I think I got the gist of how they get it. They're no longer of use."

Percy smirked at the men. "Then I'll gladly dispose of them."

Quicker than Mark could open his mouth to say something stupid, Percy swiftly brought out his gun and shot them both in the chest; straight at their hearts. The men both crumpled to the floor.

Percy blew out a breath and then looked at me. His expression morphed into something of relief, and he walked over to me and wrapped me in his arms. I buried my face into his shoulder, trying to calm my beating heart. That was close. Too close.

"Are you all right?" He asked sincerely, pulling back to study my face.

I nodded, the feeling of dread still sitting like an anchor at the bottom of my stomach. I wanted to reel that feeling back out, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. That worried me.

"Percy," I said, my voice troubled. "How did they know who Piper and I really were? We were both careful the whole time. We made sure not to say anything that would give away our real identity. How could they have known?"

"She's right," Piper said, staring blankly at the figure of the two bleeding men. "They even knew we were coming. And what they were saying about their boss and group...I don't like it."

Percy sighed, pulling out of my embrace. "I'm not sure. I don't like it either, but we'll figure it out once we get to HQ. We have more things to discuss there as well."

"And Percy..." Piper said hesitantly. She locked eyes with him, and even behind her contacts, I could see the anxiousness and fear in them. "The man they were working for had been the one who ordered the attack on HQ."

And from there, everything happened so quickly, my mind barely managed to process it all.

Percy opened his mouth to let out probably a growl, when a loud bang echoed through the room, silencing us all.

I knew that sound.

It was the sound of a gunshot.

Who fired it?

Jose Andrade.

Percy let out a grunt, falling to his knees. His right arm was suddenly bleeding, and he used his free hand to clutch it. Blood was dripping down his arm now. Every single drop thick and fluid.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Piper gasped. Leo and Reyna stood there in shock. I felt my heart stop. It was Bianca who was the only one that reacted.

Jose cocked his gun again, aiming it at Percy once more. Just before he could pull the trigger, Bianca let out a gutteral cry and lunged for him, knocking him to the floor. She kicked the gun out of his hand, sending it skittering across the floor. She pinned him to the floor, her whole body on top of his. Even from where I was, I could see the anger burning in her eyes.

"You work for the same boss as them, don't you?" She growled. "Who the fuck do you work for? WHO?"

She shook him vigorously, causing his head to hit the floor hard. He had the nerve to laugh. "Some information isn't meant to be shared," he said hoarsely, speaking in a perfect English accent. No trouble at all.

He pulled something out of his pocket. A knife.

I felt my breathing stop, terrified that he would use it to stab Bianca. He had the perfect opportunity to do so. But instead, to my relief and horror, he brought it up to his neck. He turned his head to look at me and gave me a wink.

"Miss Chase," he called out, grinning madly. "Watch your back. They're watching."

With that, he sank the knife into his neck, cutting a clean path across it.

He went limp.

No one said a word. Not a fucking word.

We all gaped at his now bleeding figure, the blood trickling from his neck into a pool around him. Bianca slowly got off of him, standing up and staring blankly at him.

Leo was the first one to say something.

"Did he just..."

Reyna nodded, her expression grim, angry, yet blank. "Yep."

Piper shook her head, staring at the man in a daze. "No..." Her voice was barely audible.

I swallowed thickly, my eyes burning with tears. No, I was not sympathetic for Jose. But just the thought, the _sight_ of seeing someone end their own life was enough to make tears form in my eyes. But I wouldn't let them fall. This man tried to kill Percy.

"He killed himself," I whispered, shaking my head. "Just so we wouldn't get information out of him."

Bianca stepped away from him, her face still blank. "Stupid," she muttered.

Percy grunted, turning all of our attention to him. He was standing up, his arm still bleeding badly. His whole hand was dripping with blood. A bloody mess everywhere. And those drops kept falling. Mocking us.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Oh God, Percy," I quickly walked over to him, the others in pursuit.

"I'm fine," he said, his face pale and a bead of sweat on his forehead. He waved us off, still clutching his arm. "I've faced worse things than getting shot in the arm."

What worried me is that I believed that.

He fixed his eyes on Bianca, a smile forming on his lips. "You know, Di Angelo, if I wasn't bleeding so much right now, I'd hug you. Bianca," he shook his head. "You saved my life."

Bianca mustered up a smile of her own, yet I could see the worry in her eyes as she stared at Percy's wounded arm. She shook her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop the first bullet in time, Percy. I'm sorry."

Percy managed a laugh. "That doesn't matter. If you hadn't tackled him to the ground, I'd be another dead person laying in this room."

His gaze wandered to Jose's limo figure, his eyes burning with sudden anger. "I knew that asshole was up to something. I don't ever remember recruiting a Jose Andrade to The Olympians. Reyna, Leo, you two hadn't told him anything about Piper and Annabeth talking to Evans and Harris, right?"

Reyna and Leo's gaze shifted to the floor, shaking their heads. Reyna sighed. "I'm sorry, Percy. I thought he was a member, because I had talked to him before. I had no idea..."

Percy exhaled through his nose. "It's fine. We still have to figure all this shit out. The dumbass just killed himself, so we have nothing else to do now." He glared at Jose's figure.

"I have a feeling that if we try to pry anymore information out of people that work for whoever this prick was working for, they'll just keep slitting their throats."

* * *

"Oh my God! What happened?" Silena asked as she quickly walked over to us, her expression filled with worry.

Percy shook his head and waved her off, still clutching his blood-filled arm. I had ripped off a long strip of my sweater dress to wrap his arm with to contain the bleeding. But even that was getting soaked. His face was pale and beads of sweat were trickling down his neck and face.

"Percy, we need to get you to the hospital," Piper announced, a stern yet troubled look on her face.

"No," Percy said through gritted teeth. "I'm fine. I just need to sit for a while."

"Percy," Piper said, her voice serious. "You need to get that arm attended."

Percy clenched his jaw as he walked through the house, the rest of us in pursuit. "Piper, I'm fine."

"No Percy," she snapped. "I can at least call Dr. Solace to come take a look at your arm. He can attend it here."

Percy looked like he wanted to protest. Piper remained looking him in the eye, her eyes flashing with irritation and a cold, stern look.

I put my hand on his non-bloody arm. He glanced over at me. "Percy," I said gently yet seriously. "Please."

Percy made a sort of growling sound at the back of his throat, and he clenched his jaw. "Fine," he sighed, sitting down on a single chair in the living room.

"No! Damnit, Percy! You're going to stain the fucking chair!" Silena protested, and exasperated look on her face.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sil. We'll clean it up later."

Silena huffed and walked out of the room, muttering things under her breath as she did so.

Piper pulled out her phone and began dialing a number on it. "I'm going to call Apollo. Then I'm going to change out of these fucking itchy as hell tights," she made a disgusted look and then walked out of the room, pressing the phone to her ear.

Reyna sighed. "I'm going to call Jason and tell him and Thalia to come home already. It's not safe to be out there anymore."

She trailed out of the room as well, Leo wordlessly following after her.

I sighed and sat down on the sofa across from Percy's chair. I stared at the floor, trying to process how things went so wrong. And Jose's warning didn't make things any better. _Watch your back,_ he had said with a crazed grin. _They're watching._

 _But who's watching?_

"Percy," I said in a monotone voice, my eyes flickering up to meet his. "What just happened?"

Percy remained quiet, staring at me like I was a puzzle he couldn't solve. Like I had a missing piece he just couldn't find.

"I'm tired of saying this," he said quietly. "But I don't know."

"Percy, someone's watching us," I said, realization dawning on me. I subconsciously scanned the room. "It makes sense. We have to check every inch of HQ. I-I just have this feeling..."

Percy sighed, a sudden anger burning in his eyes. "I think you're right. We'll check after the doctor heals me up. But for now, try not to say anything that will give more information about us away."

I felt a sob rising up my throat, and I swallowed hard to push that sob down. This is stupid. This is all stupid. When did things take such a horrible turn?

When I fell in love.

Not once, but twice.

I never was much to share my feelings, but I wanted to. "Percy," I whispered, staring blankly at the floor. "I'm scared."

"Hey," Percy said, a sudden gentleness in his voice. I forced my gaze to meet his. "Everything's going to be fine. You have a family to protect you. And as long as I'm by your side, no one will think twice about hurting you."

I gave him a soft smile.

He smirked. "Besides, by tomorrow afternoon, we'll be flying back to New York. Then you can be able to see your Mother."

I felt another sob rising in my throat at just the mention of her. I hadn't had time to call her. She hadn't called me. I never thought twice about my Mother before. I never needed her.

But now I needed her more than ever.

"It'll be the first thing I do when we get there," I said softly, my voice wavering ever so slightly.

Percy smiled, and it was then that Piper walked into the living room. She had changed into some white sweatpants and a light pink tank top, white slip-ons settled onto her feet. Her mahogany hair, free from it's wig, was pulled up into a messy ponytail.

"All right, Percy. Dr. Solace is coming in about twenty minutes. He says he'll try to get here as soon as possible, because we obviously can't have our gang leader dying on us," she announced, flopping down onto the sofa next to me.

"Wait," I said, frowning. "Dr. Will Solace? How can he be here in twenty minutes when he's in New York?"

Piper chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "No, silly. Will's dad; Apollo Solace. He runs the hospital for The Olympians here in Chicago."

"Oh, that makes sense," I said, feeling stupid.

Percy smirked at Piper. "Comfortable now?"

She groaned and placed a hand dramatically on her forehead. "Oh my God, I was going to fucking pass out in those clothes. I could barely even breathe in them. Like what the hell, Annabeth? How can you stand wearing those tight as fuck clothes every hour of every day?"

I laughed and shrugged. "I've had practice."

"No shit," she muttered. Her eyes snapped to Percy. "Also, Reyna told me to tell you that Thalia says that if you die before they get here, she'll kick your ass all the way to hell."

Percy nodded, smirking. "I'll keep that in mind."

I glanced worriedly at his bleeding arm, wondering how he could look so calm and easygoing when he was bleeding to death.

"We need to wrap that arm back up again," I said, frowning at his arm. "I'll be right back."

I quickly walked out of the room without another word, walking into the kitchen to find a towel or something to wrap his arm with. The only thing I could find was the red towel Leo had been using to place the tortillas the other day, but luckily, it was thick.

I quickly walked into the living room, where Nico and Bianca were there on the other sofa,, staring worriedly at Percy.

"Percy, I'm so sorry. I should've stopped the bullet in time," Bianca sighed, frowning.

"Bianca, you did perfectly fine. What you did was amazing. If you hadn't shoved that asshole to the ground, I would probably be dead by now, considering how well his aim might be," Percy said, pride shining in his eyes as he stared a Bianca.

"So, what? The guy just slit his throat? Why the fuck would he do that?" Nico asked, scowling.

I shook my head softly, kneeling in front of Percy to remove the fabric I had wrapped around his arm and replace it with the towel. I sighed. "He did it so we wouldn't get information out of him. He knew we'd never let him go until he have us answers, so he killed himself instead. That's...that's horrible."

"And fucking stupid," Nico muttered, shaking his head.

"Either way, we'd still have killed the dick even if he didn't do it himself," Percy said, anger evident in his tone. "I didn't like the guy from the first time I laid eyes on him. I didn't like that he knew so much about the mission when I was sure Reyna nor Leo said shit to him. I had specifically told them not to, and I'm sure they'd never disobey my orders."

Piper shook her head, deadpanning as she stared at the floor. "This is all stupid. Plain stupid."

I tied off the towel around Percy's arm, tightly, but not too tight. I stood up. "There."

Percy smiled at me. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I replied, leaning down to give him a kiss on his forehead. His skin was beading with sweat, and he seemed to be getting paler. Cant that doctor hurry the fuck up?

"Percy, you look like shit," Thalia said, walking into the room with Jason in tow. Her nose was wrinkled, but I could see the concerned look in her eyes as she studied him.

"I feel like shit," Percy replied, rolling his eyes.

Jason sighed and shook his head. "Oh Percy, when will you ever start getting into these problems?"

Percy smirked. "Dude, I'm always getting into problems. You've lived with me long enough to know that."

"It's not like I wanted that," he muttered, a smirk dancing on his lips. His eyes strayed to Piper, who smiled at him.

"Oh my God, Piper. You're ok," he breathed, walking over to her to wrap her up in his arms.

"What? Did you think I was gonna die?" Piper scoffed, frowning at him.

Jason shrugged. "I can honestly never not think that."

Piper rolled her eyes.

Thalia flopped down on the couch on the other side of Piper. "So," she said with a raised eyebrow. "What shit went down, exactly?"

Piper and I took turns recounting what happened to all of them, also adding in our conversation with the now dead business men. We explained how Percy came in, shot the guys dead, and then Jose shot him, Bianca tackled him to the ground, and ending it with how he slit his throat.

A very happy story, don't you think?

Thalia nodded slowly. "So..what I'm hearing is, Bianca was a fucking badass queen?" She grinned at her cousin, lifting up her hand for a high-five.

Bianca laughed and slapped her palm against Thalia's. "You know it."

"Well, this whole thing is fucked up," Jason said, swinging his arm across Piper's shoulder.

Nico snorted. "When is it never?"

Percy sighed. "Anyway, we have to check HQ for hidden cameras. Annabeth says she has a feeling they're monitoring us somehow, and I don't doubt it. We have to be on high alert at all times. We can't risk anything."

"That's sad," Leo said, walking into the room with Reyna following.

"Perce, you're basically putting us on lockdown," Leo frowned, flopping down to the floor with his back against the sofa Piper, Jason and Thalia were seated in.

"Would you rather die?" Thalia asked, kicking his head with her boot.

"Guys," Percy interrupted, his voice stern. "This is serious. Tomorrow afternoon we're heading back to New York. Hopefully we can settle things there. We're not safe. Jose already threatened Annabeth, and Mark and Jayden had hinted threats at her as well. We have to be careful."

Nico frowned, turning to me. "What'd Jose say, exactly?"

I took a ragged breath, sitting down on the arm of Percy's chair. "He said to watch my back. They're always watching."

Silence filled the room. Everyone kept quiet as they stared at the floor. Jason was right. This whole thing is fucked up.

"All right, I'll bite," Reyna said, sitting down on the arm of Piper's sofa. "Who exactly is 'they?'"

"The same assholes who attacked HQ," Percy snarled, his eyes fiery. "Mark, Jayden and Jose all worked for the same guy who ordered the attack on HQ. Jose killed his worthless ass so we wouldn't get information out of him. Whoever they're working for..." He trailed off, shaking his head, his expression pissed.

"-Mean business," Bianca finished, staring sullenly at the floor.

"Basically," Leo said, not smiling that impish grin of his for once.

We were all silent for a while, not saying anything. Even if they didn't say it, I knew they were scared. All of them. Even badass Thalia. I-dont-take-shit-from-no one Reyna. Fuck-with-me-and-I-stick-my-foot-up-your-ass Percy. If they're scared, then I'm terrified.

"Hey, where's Silena?" Piper suddenly asked, breaking the tension in the room.

Leo snorted. "You know how when she's annoyed or nervous she starts cleaning shit? That's what she's doing."

"Why would she be annoyed?" Reyna asked, frowning with amusement.

Percy snickered. "Probably cause I'm staining the shit out of this couch with blood."

"Speaking of blood," Bianca said, scowling. "Shouldn't Apollo be here by now?"

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, echoing eerily through the house.

"Well, he is now," Nico said.

"I'll go get it," Piper announced, bouncing up from the sofa and running towards the door.

About three minutes later, a handsome man in about his early forties but looked like he was in his twenties came into the room. He grinned so brightly it was like the sun was illuminating the whole room.

He looked like Dr. Will, but an older version. Same tousled, golden hair, bright blue eyes, sun kissed skin, tall figure and bright smile. The only difference was that this man seemed more muscular, and I wondered how a doctor could be so well built. But apparently, this man was.

"Ah, hello Percy," he said, walking closer to him, his strides long and confident. Percy merely smiled and nodded in response.

The doctors eyes landed on me, his blue orbs sparkling. "And you must be Miss Annabeth Chase. Even with that disguise you have on, I can still very much tell it's you."

I smiled and stood up, holding my hand out for him to shake. "Yes, that's me. It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Miss Chase," he said, shaking my hand firmly. His hand was warm, and his whole body seemed to be radiant a comfortable kind of heat.

He turned towards Percy, a mocking frown on his face. "Now that have you gotten yourself into, Percy?"

Percy sighed and shrugged. "I got shot in the arm."

Apollo sighed and shook his head as if this was a normal thing. "You know, I'm getting tired of having to take care of the shit you get into, but well, we don't ever have a given choice now, do we?"

Percy snorted. "If I did, I wouldn't be bleeding to death."

Apollo smirked and then set to work on addressing Percy's arm.

* * *

 **Holy shit you guys, shit just went down 0-0**

 **What do you guys think? Who were Mark, Jayden and Jose working for? Whose watching them? What's gonna happen once they return to New York? Feel free to share all of your theories!**

 **AND OMFG YOU GUYS! PERCY'S BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW! YAYYYY! If you guys can, write "Seaweed Brain" on your wrist and join me in singing our beloved goofball a "Happy Birthday" at 7:00 PM tomorrow! And feel free to eat some blue food! It'll be great, guys.**

 **My head hurts like a bitch right now, and I just wanna rest, but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I will be going back to my regular updating schedule, so the next update will be next Friday ((: I know, I know, it seems so far away, but bear with me, guys.**

 **All right then, I love you all, and I hope you have a great rest of your week ((: and yay! I didn't update at the devil's hour today!... Talk about high-five for me, right?**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	28. Chapter 27

**Hey my loves! How's everyone doing? I don't really know how I'm doing, actually. I'm fucked up right now :/ but anyway... I just wanna jump right into it, cuz you guys have had a long wait, am I right? So...yeah!**

 _ **Shilcow:**_ **Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Hmmm...maybe...and yay! I'm so glad you did! I wore my Cubs shirt XD Happy late birthday to our Seaweed Brain :3 ≤33**

 ** _Stargazer:_ Oh no! Don't you Rachel Elizabeth Dare have a stroke on me XD and you'll find out who they're working for soon enough...and I know right?! Percy Jackson is literally perfection. You know what? When I come of age, I'll start a petition to make his birthday a holiday. Better yet, _all_ of the seven's bday a holiday. Whose with me? And no problem at all. I love to see how you all enjoy my fanfic so much, it brings a smile to my face as bright as Apollo's chariot. I love responding to you all, because it's your support that keeps me going. And thank _you_ for being such an honest to goodness kind person. It really means a lot, so thank you ≤33**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **No problem at all! And I'm so happy to see that you enjoyed it ((: you'll find out who they're working for soon enough...so stay tuned! Hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Jess:**_ **XDXD omgs, you knew that mole was behind it all along, didn't you? XD and yeah, the guy was dumb enough to kill himself, and I actually got the idea of making him do that after watching a show XD so yeah..sorry for grossing you out? Lmao, and Percabeth is everywhere, even if they aren't saying shit, they're still having their 'lil moments XD and of course I think you're funny! I absolutely love funny people, cuz I love to laugh. And don't worry, in pretty funny looking too XD I hope you like this chapter, Jeff!**

 _ **istar144:**_ **So glad you liked it! And omgs! You're right! Happy late anniversary to Percabeth and happy late birthday to our Seaweed Brain ((: and really? Im loving the Trials of Apollo so far. It's so funny seeing things from his perspective xD hope you get to read the s upecond one soon, because I absolutely loved it. Caleo's in it! And great job on finishing it in two days, hope you savored all those moments. As for your guess...maybe.**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Happy to see that you liked it! And happy late birthday to our Seaweed Brain! And you'll find out in later chapters what I decide... :D**

 _ **niki4ever:**_ **Thats great! Go for it! And you're absolutely welcome! Can't wait to see what story you come up with! And here's the next chapter! Hope you like it (:**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Glad you did! As for Silena being a spy... You'll find out ((:**

 _ **Dimitri Jinx:**_ **Again, I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! So glad to have you a part of our Fanfiction family :3 I hope you enjoy this chapter as well ((:**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Hmmm...what do you mean by, 'grown up?' As for the Leyna, you'll have to be patient. That relationship takes time to build up, since its between a very serious person with a carefree and silly guy. And for hoping to have none of the members of The Olympians die...I can't guarantee that ): but thank you, anyway! I'm happy to hear that you're liking this story ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Oh don't cry! Cause here's the next update! I hope this satisfies your needs and keeps you from crying! :D ≤33**

 **You guys are amaZhang. Los amo a todos ≤33 (I love you all)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own nada**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

"Alright, Perce. You're all patched up. Just watch the arm for a little. Don't sleep on it tonight, and you'll be fine," Dr. Solace said, starting to put away all his items into his bag.

Percy rolled his shoulder and winced just slightly. "Got it, thanks Apollo."

The doctor nodded and swung his bag over his shoulder. He smiled warmly at me. "Nice meeting you, Miss Chase. You remind me so much of your mother."

I smiled back and stuck out my hand, which he grasped and gave it a shake. "I suppose that's a compliment, so thank you. By any chance...have you talked to her?"

Apollo sighed and shook his head. "I wish I could say yes, but no, I haven't. Not recently. But you know Athena. She's very busy with her career. Not much time to make phone calls."

I tried not to let my face drop. I'd been hoping he'd heard a word or two about her. But no one seems to know what's going on in the life of Athena Chase.

"I guess you're right. But thank you anyway. We'll try to make sure Percy doesn't get himself killed anymore," I said, adding a teasing grin.

"Hey," Percy warned, yet his eyes twinkled.

Apollo snorted. "Percy? Killed? Those two words always manage to find their way into a single sentence. But well, I wish you all the best of luck on that task."

Percy scoffed as the rest of us snickered.

"Well, thank you again, Apollo. We appreciate the help," Bianca said, giving him a warm smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her, an appreciative look on his face. "Quite the hero here, aren't we, Miss Di Angelo?"

Bianca smiled sheepishly, yet her eyes gleamed.

"What about me?" Nico complained, frowning.

Thalia snorted. "You couldn't save a puppy if it was drowning in a three-foot deep pool."

Nico scowled and muttered some unflattering words about her, causing Thalia to sock him in the arm.

Apollo tried to contain a smile, but failed to do so. He cleared his throat and flashed us all a toothy smile."I must go, then. A lot of patients to treat at the hospital. You Olympians," he shook his head mockingly. "You always manage to hurt yourself somehow. Even for the stupidest reasons."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget you were in The Olympians, Apollo. Mind that, you _still are."_

Apollo smirked and waved us all a goodbye, and then headed out the door.

I turned to the others. "He seems nice."

Leo snorted. "Try his sister. That girl's got more balls than all of us guys combined. Why do you think she was the one who made Thalia the she-beast she is?"

Thalia glared at him and flipped him off, slapping him upside the head with her other arm as well.

"This she-beast can kick your ass all the way to hell," she snapped, her eyes flashing. "I wouldn't mind sending you to a trip there."

Leo gulped and shook his head. "I'm fine, thanks.

Percy smirked and faced the rest of us. "Jason, Reyna, Piper, Bianca, you guys come with me to check HQ for any of those hidden cameras. They can be anywhere, but try checking rooms we would most likely enter. If you find any, I don't care what you do, but make sure they aren't able to function anymore," he instructed, his face serious.

"The rest of you guys can go to sleep now. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be heading to New York at around five-thirty or so. We'll talk more in the morning, but get some rest," he said.

Leo snickered. "What about Silena? Hell knows where she is right now."

The corner of Perry's mouth twitched. "I almost forgot about her. Annabeth," he turned to me. "Can you explain all of this to her? She'll be coming with us as well. We'll take her to New York with us."

I smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Percy pursed his lips. The color seemed to be returning to his face, and he looked a bit better now. His arm was treated and bandaged up nicely, so he should be much better by tomorrow.

"All right then. See you all in the morning."

* * *

"Silena?" I called, poking my head into one of the rooms. Nope.

I walked down the hall into the room where she had disguised Piper and I so perfectly. Such a shame those two men knew who we really were. Silena's work went to waste.

"Silena?" I called once again, opening the door to the room.

I was greeted by the sight of her packing up all her makeup items and stuff. She quickly went over to the rack of clothes she had set up and began taking down the pieces of clothing one by one.

I smiled and walked in, the clicking of my boots against the wooden floor alerting her of my presence. She looked up distractedly, but a smile peered it's way onto her glossy lips when she saw me. "Hey, Annabeth."

"Hey," I greeted back, placing my arms on the back of the black swivel chair I had sat in. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged, neatly folding the clothes and setting them in her glittery pink suitcase. "Cleaning up."

I nodded. "Well, Percy sent me to tell you that we're going to leave for New York tomorrow around five-thirty, so be ready. We're taking you with us."

Her head snapped up and a grin broke through her face, her pearly whites almost blinding me. "Seriously?" She asked, her voice breathy with excitement and happiness. "Oh my God, yes! I've been wanting to go back home, even if I've just spent three days here in Chicago. I can't wait to see Charlie! Oh, I miss him so much. I'm going to go call him right now!"

A bounce in her step, she walked out the door, flipping out her bedazzled pink phone and quickly typing something in.

I chuckled and shook my head, beginning to walk out the door as well and to my room.

It wasn't only until I sat down on the matress that I realized how exhausted I was. So much had happened in only three hours. It felt like a whole fucking day. I still needed to shower. My face felt heavy with makeup. My legs ached. The wig was starting to get itchy. I was suddenly sweating from the sweater dress and scarf piled over me. I needed rest.

I peeled off my clothes and wig in the bathroom and instantly jumped into the shower. I sighed blissfully at the feel of the cool water running down my back and shoulders, the liquid massaging my stiff muscles and loosening then up. I always loved taking showers. I had time to think and collect my thoughts when I did. I felt my body instantly relax. I felt at peace for once. I felt as if the water could wash away all my problems. The problems ruining my life. The problems that made me feel so weak and hopeless.

The problems that made me feel so terrified.

I simply stood under the shower head for a little while, letting the water soak up my hair and make it plaster onto my back.

I got out about thirty minutes later, all washed up and feeling relaxed and sleepy. I slipped into my pajamas and brushed my dark, soaking wet hair. I lathered lotion onto my skin, making sure to rub the soothing cream onto every spot I could manage. I quickly brushed my teeth and then headed to the bed.

I sunk under the covers, feeling my body shut down instantly. The bed made me feel safe. The covers made me feel as if I was wrapped in Percy's arms. Safe. Protected. Warm.

Just thinking about him made a peaceful feeling wash over me, and soon enough, my eyelids started to flutter shut, the world turning black.

* * *

 _Yelling._

 _You'd think it'd stop by now, but it never did._

 _Annabeth Chase sat at the dinner table with her little brothers, munching on some carrots with ranch. The sounds of shouts and curse words were getting harder to ignore, and Annabeth could already see the fear swimming in her brothers' eyes._

 _Her parents._

 _They were fighting again. Annabeth knew the fight had to do with her. She was the one driving her parents apart. She was the one making her brothers coward in fear and not meet their parent's eyes when they were in the same room with them. This was all her fault. All because of a stupid company, and her Mother planning to pass it down to her._

 _She cleared her throat and set down her half-bitten carrot, the sounds of her parent's shouts making her stomach churned uncomfortably. Her brothers' eyes flickered up to her, anxiousness written all over their faces. She gave them a gentle smile._

 _"Do you guys want to watch TV?" She asked. "I think Paw Patrol might be on."_

 _Instantly, a smile lit their chubby yet cute faces, their little dimples etching their way onto their chins. "Oh yes!" Cheered Bobby, setting down his carrot and pushing himself out of his chair._

 _Matthew follow after him, the carrots long forgotten on the table. Annabeth smiled, watching her brothers push and shove each other to sit in the corner of the couch._

 _She loved them. She really did. They were the reason Annabeth had kept from running away. More than once, she had thought about it. Her life would be so much simpler if she did. Everyone's lives would be better. Her parents might stop fighting. Her brothers might have the childhood they deserved. Everyone would be better off without her around._

 _But she would miss Bobby and Matthew. From the minute she laid eyes on them, she knew she would love them with every living fiber in her body. She didn't care that they were technically her half-brothers. They made her feel happy._

 _She went over to sit on the sofa with them, grabbing the remote and flipping the TV on. She searched through the channels a little, looking for the show that her brothers loved so much. She thought it was funny. How two four year olds could like a show that involved puppies saving and helping everyone. They needed their own helping. They needed saving. Could those puppies come to their aid as well?_

 _"Ooh! Look Bobby! There's Chase!" Matthew shouted, his eyes gleaming excitedly as the German Shepherd puppy came into view._

 _Chase. Their last name. The favorite puppy character of Bobby and Matthew._ "Because his name is our last name," _they both would state, a happy and appreciative look on their faces. They thought it was such an honor being a Chase. Such a privilege. They thought they were the luckiest people on Earth, the Chases. But Annabeth grew up learning otherwise._

 _The Chases weren't lucky. Their family was driving apart while others lived happily amongst each other. Other people lived in house full of love, joy, warmth. Other people's parents merely fought and made-up instantly. Other people's families laughed and smiled and gave kisses and hugs to one another. But_ _the Chases werent other people._

 _And even through all of this, the yelling still continued._

I woke with a start, but I felt different than the other times I've woken up. I wasn't drenched in sweat this time. My heart wasn't threatening to protrude out of my chest. I wasn't breathing hard. In fact... I didn't feel anything.

I felt empty. As if everything in me had been taken away. But in my case, that's true. I felt my chest aching with sadness at the images of my brothers. I remembered that day so well. My brothers and I had spent the rest of the day watching TV, flipping through various channels until I was sure we went through each one. There wasn't anything else we could do. My parents had been fighting in their room, which meant we had to pass by their room to get to our rooms. Bobby, Matthew and I were too nervous and scared to pass by there. Scared that one of them might come out and take drastic measures. Scared of everything, really.

Sighing and running a hand through my mess of curls, I bent over the bed to pick up my phone from it's nightstand and clicked it on. Ten-thirty two. I huffed softly, irritated that I've been waking up so late. I needed to get back to my routine of waking up no later than nine o'clock, or else I'd find myself waking up at the god-awful hour of twelve in the afternoon.

Blinking a couple of times and wiping my hand across my face, I got up and out of bed. I quickly made it, making sure to smooth out every wrinkle or wave visible on the comforter. After all, I wouldn't be sleeping in it tonight. I'd be sleeping in my bed over there in New York at HQ. Who knows when I'll come back to sleep in this bed. If I'll even live long enough to come back to it.

* * *

"So, what are we eating today?" I asked as I walked into the dining room, still in my gray pajamas. I plopped myself onto the seat next to Percy.

He shot me a smile and kissed my cheek. Leo grinned at me. "Today for breakfast we're eating a huevo-sandwich."

I cocked an eyebrow and titled my head slightly. "Hm, sounds good."

Leo winked at me. "Girl, it _is_ good." He nodded towards the kitchen. "I'll bring it to you right now. Be right back everyone." He slipped out of the dining room.

I glanced back at the others, and suddenly was hit with the nervous tension in the room. Everyone seemed to be on guard, their eyes flickering everywhere, as if they expected people to come jumping out of every pot in the room. The memory of what Percy was looking for yesterday night hit me.

I frowned slightly and looked at Percy. "Did you guys ever find any cameras?" I asked lightly.

Percy's eyes shifted up to meet mine, and only then did I notice the steely look in his eyes. He looked so tired as well. Their were bags under his eyes, and his green orbs seemed darker than usual. But even looking like that, he still appeared much better than he had yesterday after that bullet was shot into his arm.

He sighed, his eyes flickering back to the sandwich in front of him. "No, we didn't. We searched ever damn corner of this house, and we couldn't find shit. We stayed up all night looking for them, but ended up with no results."

Great. We're all going to die now.

"Nothing?" I asked quietly.

Percy shook his head. "Nothing."

"This whole thing is fucked up," Thalia growled, throwing her napkin onto the table. "How the hell are we supposed to know how they're stalking us if we can't find shit?"

"Wait," I said, my eyebrows creasing. "Maybe whoever these people are are using the same tactic you guys do when you're watching after your next targets. How do you guys hide the cameras? Or do you use something else?"

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. "Beckendorf created this little chip that works exactly like a camera, but is five times smaller. We don't even have to hide it, for that matter. It's so damn small, no one would see it, or give a fuck about it."

Reyna scowled, setting down her sandwich. "Do you think those people are using something like that as well?"

All eyes snapped to Percy. He sighed and shrugged in defeat. "I honestly don't know, guys. Even if they were, I don't know how they could've gotten their hands on one of those chips. For all I know, Beckendorf only made it for the use of The Olympians."

Silena shook her head adamantly. "Charlie never handed those chip thingys to anyone else. He wouldn't do that without your permission, Percy."

"And I'm not saying he ever did give them to anyone else, Sil," Percy said solemnly. "I'm just wondering if somehow, someone else gave information away as to how to make the chips."

Bianca frowned nervously. "Are you saying we might have some spies in The Olympians?"

Percy sighed and shook his head regretfully. "I don't want to say it, but possibly."

"All right, Annabeth!" Leo burst into the room, a bright grin on his face. He strode over and set the plate in front of me. But honestly, after this conversation, I'd lost my appetite.

"You guys," I said, pushing the plate slightly away from me. "This is serious. If what Percy's saying is true, we're really in serious danger."

Nico scoffed softly. "That's what being in a gangs about, Annabeth. We're putting ourselves in front of danger's name and giving it the finger. What else do you want it to be?"

I shook my head and looked at Percy, that dangerous glint in his eyes again. Id gotten use to that look now, no matter how much I wish it wasn't there so often. "Is there something you can do about that?"

Piper, who hadn't said anything so far, spoke up, "We could tell the others who are leading different groups of The Olympians to keep an eye on all members. To pay attention to what they say, do, or ask for. It might be easier that way to pinpoint our traitors. Maybe then we can find out whose leading this shit-pack."

Percy nodded at her. "That's a good idea. I'll call the others later today. As for the chip problem, if they're really that small, we don't have a high chance of finding them. We'll just have to forget about them. Maybe even set this place to self-destruct along with the little shits."

Jason picked at his napkin, his blue eyes steely. "How can we be so sure there aren't any of those chips back at the HQ in New York?"

Reyna shook her head. "I think that place is too well hidden for others to locate it. I doubt they'd have found the place."

Percy sighed, his dangerous eyes locking with each one of ours. "And if not, we'll just have to take our chances."

* * *

I sat on my bed, trying to call my Mother for the tenth time in a row, but no matter how many times I tried, she wouldn't pick up.

I was worried. Why isn't she answering my calls or texts? She always has before. But also, when I used to call or text her before and she didn't answer, I wouldn't care. I'd give up on her and just not try anymore, not a worry about her in mind. But now I was close to hyperventilating.

My relationship with my Mother has changed so much. Before, we had a distant relationship. Ever since my brothers and Dad died, we'd grown apart. We barely spoke to one another. Heir deaths didn't bring us closer; they drove us away from each other. My Mother paid a mild attention to me, and I barely ever acknowledged her. We weren't even considered Mother and Daughter anymore. Simply Mother. And Daughter. Not in a single sentence side by side. Those two words had been in separate sentences. A period blocking the words from each other like a brick wall.

But now, I don't know what I'd do without my Mother. Thoughts of her invaded my mind more than ever, while before, thoughts of her seemed to be placed to the back of my head. Hidden. Alone. Discarded.

I felt like a little girl now, crying for her mommy after a fall. I felt as if I'd been torn away from her. Me, a 23 year old woman, needing her Mommy to tell her that everything was going o be fine even though she knew it never would be.

But now, Mommy was unheard of.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent on simply training. By the time we were finished, I felt ready to drop and pass out on the floor, but of course, I could never get my way.

There was definitely a noticeable tension in the room, and I found myself trying to soothe myself into thinking that there was nothing to worry about.

But what shouldn't I be worried about? These guys had been at the dangerous gang business since they were 18. If something as little as this made them nervous, then I was terrified. As I walked throughout the house, I found myself subconsciously glancing in every direction of the place. I could feel eyes on me. I could feel someone watching me. But I went about my day like a normal, perfectly safe person.

Even when I knew I was none of those things.

"All right, everyone," Percy said as we gathered in the living room. It was already five-thirty, and I was itching to get onto the plane as soon as possible and get as far away from this house as possible. It want safe. All of us knew that.

"Are you all ready to go?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow at each of us. We all nodded in response, when a question popped into my head.

"Are you going to go through with blowing up this place after all?" I asked, trying to steady my beating heart.

Percy nodded in confirmation, his green eyes darkening. "Yeah, but this time I won't have to be in here to do it. Athena designed this place to blow up with the access of a remote Beckendorf's dad Hephaestus designed. Once we're safe away from the house, I'll simply push a button, and wipe this house off the map."

I bit my lip and nodded, my eyebrows creasing absentmindedly.

Percy faced the others. "With that settled, let's board the plane now, shall we?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, we were all aboard the plane, safely away from the now blown up house being used to stalk us.

I blew out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding in. As long as we were away from that house, I felt at least a smidge safer. My body seemed to relax, my tense muscles unraveling themselves. I pressed the back of my head against the window, closing my eyes lightly.

"How long will it be 'til we reach New York?" Percy asked as he sat down next to me.

Jason leaned against the door of the control room, his arms crossed over his chest. "About three hours or so. Not too far away."

He nodded next to me, and I suddenly felt Percy's hand slip into mine, our fingers intertwining. Warmth spread from his hands into my cold ones. I turned my head and smiled at him, the corners of his lips tilting upwards into the lopsided smile I'd come to endear. He brought up my hand and kissed the back of it, all the while not breaking eye contact. I let out a little sigh, unintentionally, mind you, and leaned my head against his leather-clad shoulder. He pressed a kiss on my head.

"We'll be there soon," he whispered. "And even there, I'll protect you at all costs."

My stomach churned at his words, warmth spreading through me. "I know you will," I whispered back.

His head pressed against mine, and I melted into him. I tried hard to fight that uncertainty in me. Would he be able to? He couldn't protect his whole family with me included. He shouldn't have to carry all that pressure on him.

If he couldn't protect me, then I'd sure as hell kick anyone's ass that tried to get near _me._

On my own.

* * *

"Oh my God! Fucking _finally!_ My ass hurts like a fucking bitch now," Thalia groaned as we stepped out of the plane.

New York, welcome back Thalia Grace.

"Oh my God, I feel you," Bianca agreed, leaning on her cousin. "I was starting to feel claustrophobic in there."

"Welcome back Leo-motherfucking-hot Valdez, New York City!" Leo shouted, grinning as he walked down the stairs of the plane, spreading his arms wide.

Reyna appeared behind him, and sneered amusedly at him. She suddenly shoved him, sending him tumbling down the steps of the plane and crashing into the floor.

I winced and tried to suppress a laugh.

Jason snickered. "Did you miss New York that much you have to kiss the floor?"

Leo scowled and got up, brushing off his shirt. "Suck my ass. Killer Girl here won't quit pushing me."

Piper hummed, lips curled in amusement. "I wonder why."

Reyna smirked as she passed him, patting his head and lips forming into a mock-pout. "Pobrecito bebé," she said in a pouty voice. _Poor little baby._

Leo however, grinned at her words. "Did you just call me _baby?_ I knew you were into me."

Reyna scoffed, yet I think we all saw the light flush creeping up her cheeks. "As if, dipshit."

"Anyway," Percy interrupted loudly, walking down the steps of the plane. His eyes swept around the garage, a fond twinkle in his eyes. His eyes shifted back to all of us, lingering on me for a second. He shot me a warm smile. "Say hello to home, everyone."

* * *

A smile absentmindedly slid it's way onto my face as we walked into the house. A strange feeling of nostalgia hit me. This is where I met all of them. Where it all started.

Bianca sighed. "I missed this place."

Piper grinned, multicolored eyes scanning the whole entrance. "I did too. This was the first ever HQ Athena designed and built. This was our first home."

My Mother.

I subconsciously glanced at Percy, and he gave me a smile, like he knew who I was thinking about. I grinned.

"I'll be in my room," I announced, starting to walk up the stairs. I waved with a flick of my hand. "See you all later."

* * *

I pressed the call button, a peculiar feeling of nervousness washing over me. What if she didn't answer? What will her excuse be for not answering my calls or text before?

But to be fair, we were on different sides of the country. Maybe those texts and calls couldn't even reach her. But still, I was worried.

The familiar buzz filled my ear, and I felt my teeth clattering along with the sound. The phone seemed to drone on for hours, my anxiety taking over me. What's going in with her? Why won't she answer? Is she hurt? Was she kidnapped? Did she simply lose her phone?

There was always another alternative. I could simply go visit her at her office. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. With all the shit going on, I can't take a step outside without feeling as if someone's watching me. Driving over there would be too risky. Someone might follow me. I might bring danger to my Mother. I couldn't risk that.

So I waited for her to pick up.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

Nico raised a brow at me. "Why's she in such a rush?"

I smiled, leaning against one of the columns that greeted us at the entrance. "She went to go call Athena."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. "What's up with old Gray Eyes anyway? Lately, she's been off the radar. No one seems to know what's going on with her."

Reyna shrugged, sitting down on one of the steps of the stairs. "You know Athena. She's an independent woman. She practically lives in her office. The only people that might know what's going on with her are Zeus, Poseidon and Hades."

Thalia scoffed silently. "I doubt it. Athena might respect the men, with the exception of Poseidon-" I rolled my eyes at that "-but I don't think she'd keep them up to date with whatever shits going down in her life. She's too solitary for that."

I sighed. "True enough, but Annabeth's been worried. Athena hasn't been picking up her calls or responding to her texts. And with our situation right now, I don't think Athena would just ignore her. Besides, Annabeth can't even go visit her with all this shit. It's too dangerous."

Leo smirked dryly. "But we laugh at the face of danger, don't we Perce?"

Silena rolled her eyes. "Did you really just quote the Lion King?"

Leo winked at her. "You know it."

Silena put her long, pink fingernails against her temples and muttered something like, "idiot," and then just as quickly, her face brightened. "I'm gonna go with Charlie now. I can't wait to see him!"

A dreamy sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes turned glassy.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Fine, but let Jason and Nico go with you. It's not safe for you to go alone."

She flashed me a happy smile, nearly blinding me. "Okay! But we have to go like, _now."_

Jason sighed. "All right, fine. Let's go, Sil."

"Yay!" She clapped her hands excitedly. She quickly gave each of us a goodbye hug, planting a kiss to all our cheeks. Except for Leo. She gave him a smack upside the head, but then squeezed him into a hug.

"Bye guys!" She called, strutting out the door.

Jason shook his head chuckling, and followed after her. Nico groaned and began walking out the door as well. "Why _me?_ I have to survive a whole fucking ride with that Barbie freak." Grumbling some more, he closed the door behind him.

Bianca snickered. "We should give him a total makeover when he gets home."

Thalia grinned. "Like, totally."

I shook my head, biting back a smile. "Poor Nico. What'd he ever do to you two?"

"Pain in the ass," Bianca deadpanned.

"Snarky bastard," Thalia drawled, studying her black colored fingernails.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay then."

"Well," Thalia said as she started to walk up the stairs. "I'mma go shower, cause I feel nasty and sweaty right now. Later assholes."

Reyna stood up from the steps of the stairs and stretched. Leo's eyes caught the little sliver of skin that appeared when she lifted her arms, her shirt riding up. Reyna noticed where his eyes wandered and her eyes instantly turned fierce. She grabbed his arm and twisted it all the way back, Leo groaning in response.

"If I see you staring at me like that again, I will personally rip out your eyeballs," she hissed.

Leo gulped and nodded vigorously. "Yep. Mhm. Got it."

Reyna rolled her eyes and let go of his arm. "I'mma go make a snack. I'm hungry as hell." She turned and began walking towards the kitchen, Leo trailing behind her like a puppy to it's owner.

Bianca chuckled. "I'm just gonna go watch some TV in my room. I'll see you later, Perce."

After she left, I decided to just go into Annabeth's room to see how her conversation with Athena was going, if she even picked up, that is.

I didn't like seeing Annabeth's crestfallen face after I asked her how the call went, when Athena never picked up at all. It made me feel irritated at Athena for not picking up. Her daughter needed her more than ever now, and she couldn't bother moving a fucking thumb to answer a damn call?

I pushed the door open to Annabeth's room slowly, not wanting to interrupt her so much. Annabeth however, didn't even glance at the door. A troubled look was on her face, and she was biting her lip so hard, I thought she might be drawing blood. She clenched the phone tightly, her knuckles white. She was stiff and completely still, not moving a single muscle.

She suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

In a shaky voice, I heard one word slip through her mouth.

"Mom?"

* * *

 **Friday! Just as I promised (:**

 **School is..okay, I guess. I managed not to get lost in that big ass school, so that's great. I made some new friends and well, I'm doing pretty good. How are you all doing?**

 **How'd you guys like this chapter? Why do you think Athena hasn't been answering? Who could be stalking The Olympians? Who's a spy? You'll all have answers to those questions soon enough, so stay tuned!**

 **And OMFGS, I just finished reading this book called _Antigoddess,_ by Kendare Blake, and oh. My. God. I'm gonna die. It's amazing! I was hyperventilating half of the time, ok, most of the time, but it's so fucking awesome and intense! I loved it to death! It also revolves around the mythological world, and wow. Spoiler): Hera's the bad guy. *Cough cough no surprise there cough cough* You guys should totally read it! ITS AMAZING!**

 **You guys make me so so happy. Writing this chapter actually got rid of my first day of school jitters. So far, no one's been an ass to me. Just this one annoying bitch that thinks we're"best friends" and follows me everywhere, but besides that, it's good. Boys are still being perverts and pain in the asses, no offense though. Nothing that I can't handle though.**

 **Love you guys, hope you have an awesome weekend ≤333**

 **~Kat**


	29. Chapter 28

**Hey everyone! How's it been going for y'all? I'm doing pretty good. It's sad to say that it feels like I haven't updated in FOREVER! Does anyone else feel like that? Sort of early update today, so you're welcome! Anyway, on to Sworn off Love!**

 **Your reviews make me smile brighter than Apollo's chariot x3**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Im so glad that you enjoyed it! I try my very best. And thank you so much! I try hard to tune into the characters and try to add a little dash of how they act in the PJO and HoO books (if the characters swore all the time, that is.) And I'm sure you'll aquire that ability soon. You might even do it better than I ever could! ≤33**

 _ **Stargazer:**_ **I know right? But I'm glad to hear that the wait is worth it. I like to keep my readers hooked and filled with anticipation XD and yeah. When Percy finds out who crossed him...things will definitely not be pretty. And I'm fucking _in love_ with badass Percy. Makes him more attractive, you know? But anyway, I'm glad to hear that ending gave you those feels! Like I've said before, I love cliffhangers. Poor Annabeth. Can't even receive a text from her own mother. And about school, it can be pretty awkward at first. Meeting new people and everything. And ugh, boys are such assholes. In gym class, they asked all the girls to stand up so we could go to the locker room, and instantly all the boys started catcalling and whistling. I was just there like, shut the fuck up. It's just-annoys the hell out of me, but what can you do? Boys will be pervs. And ily too! All your reviews warm my heart ((: ≤33**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thanks! I tried my best to please you guys. About your suspicions...I'm just gonna say it now and say that Silena is _not_ the spy. I didn't want her to be on the "bad side" in this story. She is still as faithful as ever to The Olympians. But, I can see why you might think that. As for Athena...her excuse will be quite simple. Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **willbittner:**_ **That's true...sadly. And I'm not sure. Cliffhangers are both amazing, yet pieces of shit. They keep you wanting to read more, but also make you want to tear your hair out and just sit in a corner and cry. So...you can say it's a love/hate thing, you know? But, get used to it, cuz I love cliffhangers XD as for Silena...I'll just say it now and say that Silena is _not_ the spy. Not in this story, at least. I wanted her to stay faithful in The Olympians and be on the "good side...?" As good as it can get in a gang, that is XD. The whole bad/good thing that involves a gang can be pretty confusing. Bianca is not the spy either. She's too nice for that. Hope you enjoy this chapter! As for Leyna...they will be together in the end (:**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Woah, woah, woah. A monster? Eh, it seems accurate honestly. But this monster will definitely keep writing! Hope you enjoy this chapter, Meistar ((:**

 _ **AliKat90403:**_ **Yeah, I'm trying to look for the City of Ashes, but I can't find it, and it's driving me crazy! But luckily, my language arts teacher has it! I'm definitely checking that out first. And you're right, it is a good way to make friends ((: And oh wow, really? What an ass. Good thing he left then. If you ever see him, give him a good shove and make him fall on his ass. Needs to learn his lesson.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **It does feel like forever, doesn't it? And you'll find out what happens next in this chapter! Hope you like it! ≤33**

 _ **nightlynisgay:**_ **Oh no...don't say that! It makes me sad just thinking about it )): but stay tuned to see what does happen!**

 _ **The Son of Nyx:**_ **Nah, sweet Silena ain't the spy. I didn't want her to be. I wanted her to stay loyal to The Olympians and not betray anyone. It broke my heart when I read she was the spy in The Last Olympian.**

 _ **Istar144:**_ **So glad you liked it that much! And you're so lucky. I wish I was still on summer break. Still so much to do! As for your suspicions...you have a good reason to think Silena's the soy, but no, she's not. I wanted her to stay loyal to The Olympians in this story. And yeah, Caleo is definitely in it. Hope you get a chance to read it soon, cuz it's an awesome book ((:**

 _ **Jess:**_ **You pretty much summed it up XD Athena needs to definitely get her shit together and pay attention to her daughter. She's literally the only thing she has left, and she's not bothering to check on her! It's stupid. Just a warning, I think her reasoning will piss you off, but that's what I want XD so be ready for that. Glad you were so into it. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **You have good reason to think it's Silena, but I can already tell you that no, it's not her. She's as loyal as ever to The Olympians in this story :3 it would seem to easy if it were Silena. I want you guys to think it's the most unexpected person... (;**

 _ **shilcow:**_ **Lmao, yes really. What else do kids watch these days?**

 _ **niki4ever3:**_ **Thats fine! And alrighty! I'll make sure to check up on that! I wish you good fortune on that story ≤3**

 **Disclaimer: No soy dueño de PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I didn't register Percy opening the door to my room. I didn't register how hard my heart was pounding against my chest. I didn't register the numbness that spread through my hand as I held the phone. I didn't register my vision going blurry with tears.

All I registered was the sound of my Mother's voice.

"Annabeth?" She said in a breathy voice.

I merely hummed in response through closed lips, not sure what would come out of my mouth if I opened it.

"Oh, Annabeth," her voice wavered, and I could practically see how she was putting a hand on her hip and then moving it up to her forehead, the way she always did when she was relieved about something.

"Why haven't you spoken to me?" The words slipped out of my mouth, my voice dry and monotoned. I felt irked at my Mother. She said she would, and that was a month ago. And in all those days, not a fucking word from her.

But a part of me was so relieved to hear her voice, I wanted to break down crying. I felt a warmness wash over me. I was overwhelmed with feelings.

I hated it.

But a realization crept over me as I was hit with these feelings; this was how Melissa must've felt when I never gave her a simple call. Hopeless, scared, worried, desperate, irritated. I felt horrible for making her feel this way.

I heard her swallow. "Annabeth, I'm so-"

"Don't," I interrupted, closing my eyes. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear those terrible words. "Don't you dare say that you're sorry."

"Then what am I supposed to say?"

I swallowed. "Tell me why you never called. Or sent a damn text. That's all I want to hear."

"Because it wasn't safe, Annabeth," came her reply. Her voice was controlled and even, yet there was a scared edge to it that was hidden underneath it. She thought I didn't catch it. But I did. I always do.

"What isn't, Mother?" I asked, clenching the phone tighter in my hand. "I haven't seen or heard from you in two fucking months. You said you'd call. Send a simple one-worded text, for God's sake. But guess what? It never came. Do you know how _worried I was?"_ I let out a humorlessly laugh. "My whole life changed in about three seconds. I've almost been killed too many times already. _In two months._ I've already killed three damn men. And through all that, even after you promised, you never paid me a visit."

I paused, swallowing thickly, trying to push down any sobs racking my throat. I heard the door close softly behind me, but I didn't bother turning around. I thought Percy might've left, but then I felt a hard chest press against my back. Strong, protective arms wrapped around my waist. Percy's head came close to mine, and he used a hand to brush my curls over my shoulder. He pressed a kiss to my neck, a soft and reassuring one. I'm here for you, the kiss said. You don't need to worry.

But I do.

"Mother, I was so scared," I said softly, shaking my head. Tears pooled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "I still am. And when I finally need you, you aren't there for me."

I heard her inhale on the other end. She kept silent for a while, and I almost thought she was going to hang up on me. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. She's Athena Chase. But Athena Chase never backs down from a confrontation, no matter how difficult it is.

"I've heard what's been going on in The Olympians," she finally said. Her voice was blank, it withheld no emotion. I clenched the phone tighter, grinding my teeth. Why can't she let her emotions show in her voice for once? Why can't she answer a damn question? Why is she being so difficult?

 _Because she's my Mother. Mothers are supposed to be difficult._

Or are they? What if they're not? What if they're supposed to be caring and give you straight answers? What if they're supposed to always be there for you? What if they're supposed to actually let you see their emotions and let you know how they're doing?

But my Mother isn't like that.

She hasn't been in a long time.

"I've noticed some things here in New York as well," she continued, her voice still monotoned. "I feel like I'm being watched, Annabeth. I knew it wasn't safe to contact you in any way. Annabeth, I _was_ scared. I was terrified of how you might be doing. I was worried sick about you. I vowed to tear Perseus' head off if anything happened to you-" Percy scoffed softly at that and shook his head, leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek. "-but I knew I would be able to talk to you soon. You're my daughter, Annabeth. I know how strong you are. I knew you would be just fine on your own. I knew The Olympians would protect you. I couldn't focus on my work thinking about how you were doing. I couldn't sleep."

Athena paused, taking in a shaky breath. "But the point is, I have my reasons for not calling you, Annabeth. But trust me when I say that I swear on my life that they were meant to keep you safe. That's all I want for you, Annabeth. To keep you safe. So you can continue living that wonderful life you have planned ahead. I want you to complete your goals. To be happy. To keep you safe."

Percy pressed a kiss to my temple and pulled me tighter against him.

"That's all I want for you," my Mother whispered softly.

I inhaled and exhaled slowly, bitting my lip hard. I was angry at her. I was happy to hear her voice. She just wanted me to be safe. She actually might care about me. She could've sent me a text at least. This is her excuse?

All my emotions are fucked up.

Instead of snapping at her or full out bursting out sobbing, I asked, "when can I see you?"

Percy buried his head into my neck.

Athena blew out a breath. "How about next Monday? I still don't think it's safe for you to go out. Let Perseus drive you over here to the office around five-thirty. I'll be here."

I nodded, then realized she couldn't see me. "All right, Mother."

I heard my Mother's even breathing on the other end. "I love you, Annabeth."

The phone beeped, signaling her hanging up.

I lowered the phone from my ear slowly, the device feeling like it weighed ten pounds in my hand. My hand felt as if ants were walking all over it. Heavy, ticklish, numb.

"Are you okay?" Percy muttered into my neck.

 _No, I'm not._

"I think so," I replied, my voice void from any emotion.

Percy turned me around, keeping his arms wrapped around me. His face was concerned, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes dark.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, his intense green orbs studying my face.

I bit my lip hard, exhaling through my nose. "I'm thinking..." I shook my head. "I'm thinking that something's wrong. Everything right now is wrong. This whole thing is fucked up. I'm terrified and angry. I just... I don't know."

Percy's arms tightened around me, not a centimeter of space between us. "Things have been fucked up for a long time," he said, his eyes staying locked with mine. "I know how you feel. I feel those emotions every day. But I've learned to cope with them. But ever since you showed up..." His lips curled into a soft smile. "I've never been better."

I slipped my arms around him, pressing my face against his chest. "My whole relationship with my Mother is confusing me. There's something going on with her, but she won't tell me what it is. My Mother has never been one to share what she's feeling. I'm just...feeling unsafe right now."

"Hey," Percy said firmly, but his voice was laced with a gentle tone. I looked up at him. "I'm right here to protect you, Annabeth. If anyone dares come near you, I will rip them apart. You don't need to feel that way."

I smiled softly, bringing my hand up to caress his cheek. "And I know that, Percy. I always will. But my feelings right now are what are making me feel vulnerable. I can't control them. They're all over the place. I hate it."

Suddenly, I felt Percy's lips against mine. Soft and slightly salty, washing over me like a warm wave. I melted into him. Just like that. It was insane what one movement from him could cause me to feel at ease and tingly inside.

The kiss was different this time; more passionate than the others have been, his lips moving with a more accelerated pace against mine. The kiss wasn't heated. It was full of fast moving lips, sure, but it wasn't a lust-filled kiss. It was one to tell me that he was there for me. That he would protect me. That he cared for me.

He pulled my body tighter against his as my hands wound up in his hair. I threaded my fingers through his hair, tugging gently at the soft locks. He shivered against me, emitting a sigh from me.

Finally, he pulled back, both of us breathing hard. Not once did his arms unwrap themselves from my body. He kept his piercing green eyes locked with mine.

"I will always, _always,_ do everything in my power to keep you happy. I'll make you forget about all your worries, all your fear and all of your fucked up emotions," he said firmly, pressing his forehead against mine. His breath fanned my face. " _Always."_

I smiled, running my fingers lightly across his cheek. "I think you already have," I said breathlessly.

He smiled that boyish, attractive smile of his, swooping down to kiss me again.

* * *

I tugged on my pajamas shirt, letting the soft material cover my cold skin. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I was more tired than I wanted to admit. My whole body ached. My arms felt as if they had bruises all over. Guess I better get used to it.

Tying my hair up into a messy ponytail, I walked out of my room, heading downstairs to the kitchen. I needed something to eat, our else my stomach would crawl out of my throat to get itself some food.

That's a gross thing to think about.

Percy, Jason and Thalia had gone to one of the warehouses to train the other members of The Olympians and some of the newer recruits. Percy also wanted to keep and eye on all of them and talk to the higher-ranking members to watch all of them closely. But now I'm wondering; what if those higher-ranking members are the spies themselves?

I pulled out an orange bowl from one of the cupboards, having found the kitchen empty. I served myself some Cocoa Puffs and sat down on the kitchen island to eat.

As I slowly chewed the chocolate spheres, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander to my Mother. She knew something. There was a tone in her voice I didn't like. She seemed to have been choosing out her words carefully. But then again, she did say she felt like she was being watched. I've been having that same feeling too.

The way she held her breath at moments made my pulse quicken. As much as she tried to keep her voice void from any emotion, there was a hint of fear in her voice. Hidden underneath all those layers. All those layers of steel and seriousness.

"Hey," a voice said beside me.

I jumped, some milk and Cocoa Puffs spilling onto the island's smooth counter.

I turned my head to see Nico standing there, his face as jaded as ever.

"Jesus, Nico," I said, exhaling as I got up to get a napkin. "You scared me."

He shrugged, sitting down on the opposite side of the kitchen island. "I get that a lot."

"How are you so quiet?" I asked incredulously, starting to mop up the mess of cereal and milk on the table.

His lips curled ever so slightly. "I just am. Comes in handy while creeping up on someone and stabbing them in the back."

A smile danced on my lips. "I bet."

He folded his arms in the table and studied me. "Besides, you were so absorbed examining your cereal, I doubt you'd have heard me even if I was being loud. Didn't think you had such a fascination with watching little chocolate balls float on milk."

I sighed, staring at my reflection on the shiny table. "I was thinking."

"About?"

I swiped my napkin over the table once. Twice. Trying to dissolve the image of the girl staring back at me. She looked so afraid. Weak. Pathetic.

 _Stop it, Annabeth._

"About my Mother," I replied at last.

Nico clucked his tongue. "What's wrong with her?"

It was a simple question, but it was one I had trouble finding an answer to. _What_ is _wrong with my Mother?_

I wouldn't know. She never even bothered to send me a text about how she was doing.

"I'm not sure," I said at last, sitting down slowly on the stool.

Nico's face remained impassive. "You're not sure?"

I shrugged a shoulder helplessly. "It's just... Everything's so complicated, jacked up, and horrible. I don't even know how my Mother is at this point. I don't have a clue what's going on with her. I can't even talk to her or see her. It's almost like I don't have a Mother at all."

Nico stared at me thoughtfully. His eyes seemed to break into me, seeing every little detail and secret about me. It was unsettling, and I had to resist the urge to shift in my seat.

"I get that," he said. There was a sudden sadness in his voice that made me crinkle my eyebrows unintentionally.

"My Mother died not too long ago," he explained, noticing my confusion. Oh. That's right.

"I'm sorry," I said awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. I cringed. I hated apologies. But I could relate to Nico, so maybe this time an "I'm sorry," wasn't too bad.

He shook his head, his dark hair tumbling into his dark eyes. "Don't be. You didn't cause her death. An enemy gang did. I was eighteen at the time. Two years ago. But even after these years, it still hurts to think about her." He clenched his fists.

I felt a pang of empathy towards him. I pushed my now soggy cereal to the side, having lost my appetite. "I know how you feel. I lost my Dad and two brothers in a car crash nine years ago. That's been a long time, but I still feel like crying when I think about them. It's not weird."

He peered at me. "Nine years ago?"

I nodded, running my long fingernails lightly over my thigh. "Yeah. I was thirteen at the time. Still had a hard time comprehending their deaths. But it hurt, you know? I lost them all so fast at such a young age. I hated it. I still do."

"That sucks," he said, wiping the smooth table-top with his finger. "Were you and your dad close?"

I hesitated. Were we ever? My Dad barely spared me a glance, but I still loved him. Cause that's how it works. You love your family no matter how much they piss you off.

I decided to answer honestly. "Not really. My Dad spent his whole time with me scowling whenever he saw me. He acted as if I wasn't even there. I still loved him though. But we weren't close." I blew out a breath. "How about you? Were you and your mom close?"

He snorted softly. "Were we ever. We used to do everything together, along with Bianca. She'd take us on trips to Italy and Venice all the time. She was great. Sometimes I'd feel as if she wasn't even my mom, more like an older sister. But she loved us both. Bianca and I loved her back too."

I smiled softly. "That's nice. Wish my Mother was like that."

He knit his eyebrows. "You're not?"

I shrugged, reaching over to stir my spoon in my milk, swirling the chocolate puffs to different places. "My relationship with Athena is complicated. She can sometimes be really caring, but other times, it's like I'm not even her daughter. Since she's going to pass down the company to me someday, it's just all been business talk, her and I. Never heartfelt conversations, but it's not like I want them." I sighed. "But it's weird. Sometimes I'm glad that we're distant. I don't always have someone on my back, you know? But other times...I wish I did have someone to actually ask me how I'm doing and know what it feels like to have a considerate, caring Mother. It's just..."

"Fucked up?" He suggested with a raised eyebrow.

I cracked a smile. "Yeah, fucked up."

The corners of his mouth twitched, but the smile that was about to form on his lips melted right off, his eyes clouding over. "Families are meant to be complicated, Annabeth. But I know what you mean. My dad never acknowledged Bianca and I's existence more than five times. He was gone for most of our childhood, so I don't really know what it feels like to have a dad. At least you must've known what it was like to have a mom, right?"

I nodded slowly. "I guess."

He shrugged a shoulder, the ends of his lips curling slightly upward. "So don't worry about all your thoughts and feelings. I know how you feel, and I get it. Let's just say for now that both of our families are fucked up. Everything is fucked up."

A dry smile appeared on my lips. "Is that our thing now? Saying everything's fucked up?"

"Why not?" He said with a shrug. "I've been messed up since I was ten."

"Why's that?" I asked, folding my arms on the table.

His cheeks turned slightly pink. Wait...was he _blushing?_ This must be good.

He cleared his throat. "I um, kind of had a crush on Percy around that time."

I felt my mouth drop open against it's will. I tried to close it, but it felt like there was an anchor at the bottom of it, and I couldn't pull it back on deck. "Aren't you cousins?" I managed to ask, a wild grin on my face.

He smiled sheepishly, something that I found looking adorable on him. "Uh, yeah. But I was ten at the time, so I couldn't really comprehend my feelings towards him. But yeah."

I shook my head, my crazy grin still intact. "That's awesome."

He peered at me curiously. "You're not gonna comment on anything else?"

I shrugged, smiling. "I don't see why I should. You're gay. I find that awesome."

His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Huh."

I grinned wryly. "Did you ever tell him?"

He shook his head adamantly, eyes wide. "Oh, fuck no. That's just mortifying to think of now. And embarrassing. No thanks."

"When did you get over him?" I asked curiously, propping my chin on my palm.

"Around fourteen," he answered. "I realized my feelings towards him around thirteen, and finally stopped liking him like that at fourteen. It's just wrong, you know?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," I replied. "I mean, I've never been into any of my cousins, but like we're saying, emotions are fucked up. Everything is."

He smiled, his lips trembling slightly, as if they weren't used to the action. "Exactly."

I smiled at him one more time before standing up, stifling a yawn. "I'mma go to sleep now. You will not believe how tired I am. My whole body feels like it has fucking bruises all over it."

He got up as well, smiling dryly at me. "You'll get used to feeling like shit."

I picked up my bowl. "I don't think I want to." I walked over to the sink, dumping out all the now slightly brown milk into it.

"I'mma go to sleep now too," he announced, heading towards the door.

"All right. Goodnight."

"And Annabeth?" He said as he opened the door.

"Yeah?"

He smiled genuinely. "I had a good time talking to you, so thanks."

I smiled back. "You're so very welcome. I hope you have fucked up dreams."

He chuckled. "Right back at you." With that, he slipped out the door, leaving me standing in the kitchen smiling at the white door.

* * *

"No breakfast today?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen the next morning.

Reyna shook her head. "Not today. We're fucking tired. Just make yourself whatever shit you want. It's all for one, bitches."

"So you and I are a _we_ now?" Leo teased lightly, a mischevious smile on his face.

Reyna rolled her eyes and sneered. "Eat shit and die, asshole."

"Damn," Jason said as he munched on some buttered-toast. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Someone's in pissy mood today."

Reyna glared at him and reached over to smack the toast out of his hand. It fell to the floor with a little thud.

"So how'd the training go?" I questioned, leaning over the table to grab a piece of toast.

Percy popped his spoon into his mouth, chewing on the Honey Bunches of oats. "It went fine," he swallowed. "Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with anyone. But I did talk to the leaders of that group. Travis and Connor Stoll. I told them to report to me if they see anything."

I spread the butter knife across the slice of bread. "Will they? I mean, do you think they'll see anything?"

Thalia shrugged, running a hand through her messy hair. "We'll see. And if they _do,_ i'll go over there myself to beat the traitors' asses to the fucking dirt."

"I'll help you," Piper chimed in, sipping some orange juice.

Thalia winked at her and held her hand up for a high-five, to which Piper obliged.

I furrowed my eyebrows, setting down my toast. "And then what?"

Nico snorted. "We kill them."

I rolled my eyes even as a smile danced on my lips. "What you _should_ be thinking about is getting them to talk. What if they just slit their throats like Jose did?"

Bianca frowned. "That's true. Maybe we could just lock them up somewhere where they can't escape and cause no harm to themselves."

"But how will we get them to talk?" Piper inquired.

Percy sighed and shook his head. "We'll worry about that when it happens. We still don't know how this is all going to play out. Which reminds me," he stood up. "I have to go call Poseidon. Piper was telling me how there might be spies on the company as well and cameras set up. I need to warn him about that."

He looked at me and gave me a warm smile, leaning down to give me a chaste kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later."

I nodded, smiling. His eyes swept over me for a second, his face slightly troubled. The talk with my Mother yesterday.

I nodded once more, mustering up a smile to tell him I was okay. No need to worry.

With one last concerned look, he walked out of the dining room. "Tell Uncle P to say hi to Daddy Dearest for me!" Thalia shouted after him. "And tell him to tell Zeus to stop being such a dick for not calling!"

"Will do!" Percy shouted from the other side of the door, voice slightly muffled.

Nico snickered, going back to eating his Peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I raised an eyebrow at Thalia. "You really love your dad."

She grinned cheekily at me and shrugged. "I've always been his favorite child."

Jason snorted. "No you haven't. You were always and still are such a pristined bitch around him."

"Fuck off," Thalia snapped. "Not all of us are born a golden child."

Jason smirked at her as she flipped him off.

I cleared my throat. "Um, anyway, what's going to happen today?"

Reyna shrugged. "Training, training and more training."

I groaned, letting my head fall back. "Are you fucking serious? Is that all you guys do?"

Bianca shook her head, a bemused smile on her face. "Of course not. We also kill, rob, sabotage, kill, make deals, fuck up buildings, oh, and kill. What more do you want?"

I sighed, picking at the napkin in front of me. "You guys must always feel like shit, then."

Leo grinned. "Now you're getting it."

Rolling my eyes, I asked, "No targets?"

Piper set down her drained glass. "At the moment, no. But pretty soon there should be. I think we have a drug deal for today, and then have to go rob some weapons from this warehouse tomorrow, so that should be fun."

"Who's going?"

Thalia crossed her arms over her chest. "The drug deal? Me, Percy, Rey and Jason. For the weapon stuff? We're not sure yet."

"..Alrighty then," I said, slapping my hands on my thighs as I got up from my chair. "I'mma go change now. See y'all later." With a flick of my hand, I left the room, heading upstairs.

* * *

Right after I pulled my flower printed camisole crop top over my head, someone knocked on the door.

Jumping slightly at the sudden noise, I breathed out. "Come in," I called, sitting down on the couch in front of the bed.

Percy poked his head in, giving me a smile. "Hey,"

I smiled back. "Hey, how'd it go?"

He sighed, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. "My Dad's pissed as hell. I don't even wanna know how mad Zeus will be. Firing people a mile a minute."

"Damn." I shifted over to give him some room on the couch. "What'd he say?"

Percy's eyes darkened slightly. "He wants me to come by his office today to discuss some things and also to drop off some papers for him."

"Do you want to go?" I asked.

"Honestly? No, I don't. I'm not in the mood right now to talk to or much less see my Dad. It'll just end up leaving me pissed as fuck."

"I can come with you," I offered, leaning closer to him.

He looked at me, a smile on his Iips. "Really?"

I smiled back and shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, why not? I don't really want to spend my whole day training. I'mma pass out if I do."

He took my hand and gave my knuckles a kiss."Well then. Thanks. But you do know that when we get back we'll both have to train, right?"

I groaned and rolled my eyes, emitting a chuckle from him. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm never going to get out of that, am I?"

He laughed. "Perhaps."

I cracked a smile and nudged him. "What time do we have to be there?"

"Well, let's see," he took out his phone and clicked it on. "He said to be there by two and it's twelve-forty five right now...so we have to go like, now."

"Now?" I asked.

"Now."

I sighed. "Let me get some bottoms and shoes on and fix my hair, and I'll meet you downstairs."

He nodded and leaned over to give me a kiss on the lips. He got up and walked towards the door. Opening it, he said with a teasing smile, "don't keep me waiting."

I laughed. "I'll try not to."

And then he walked out of the room.

Sighing, I walked into my closet and fished out some black strap-on heels and some high-waisted denim shorts. I slipped them on, then went into the bathroom and quickly brushed out my mess of curls. Tying them up into a messy ponytail, I grabbed my purse and sunglasses and walked out the door.

* * *

"How do you feel about seeing him again?" I asked Percy once we were on the road.

He was clad in leather as always, and I was finding it funny how I was dating a man that was looked so rough and looked like he could beat the shit out of you with just a stare, while me over here, dressing glamorously (what most people say, at least) and usually wearing light colors.

We'd be a sight to see together in public.

But of course, that would never happen. It would definitely cause more attention, and right now, I don't want that. More attention equals more danger towards me, not trying to sound cynical though, but it's the truth. People always, and I mean _always_ ask me why I'm not dating anyone or if I am, just in secret. The question has always caused me to blanch, and I have to take a moment to answer. _I just haven't found the right guy yet,_ I'd respond, and the public would eat it up.

I couldn't just say that I was scarred for life because of me dating someone. I couldn't just say that I was raped by a guy I dated, no matter how many times I've wanted to.

 _Tell the police,_ my voice would always scream. And it was right. I could always expose that horrible man, but I just couldn't seem to bring myself to do it. It just felt...not safe. It sounds pathetic and stupid, but I just can't shake the feeling that I _shouldn't_ tell anyone.

Percy was the first person I'd ever confessed that to. Not Melissa. Not even my own Mother. I was scared. Petrified of what might come out of that. But I trusted Percy. With my entire life. And he had deserved to know.

But now I'm wondering whether I should've kept that story a secret forever.

Percy sudden sighed, jarring me out of my thoughts. "I'm not sure, actually. I don't want to see him at all, but there's a part of me that actually _wants_ to talk to him. You know what I mean?"

I did. That was the same way I always felt with my Mother. Reluctant, yet yearning to see her. Angry, yet wanting to give her a hug.

"It'll be fine," I said, giving him a smile and taking his hand in mine. He had those leather, fingerless gloves on, but they almost felt comfortable, pressed next to my palm. It seemed like it was a part of him, and he always made me feel safe. So did the leather intertwined in my hand.

I crossed my legs, bringing my thigh to my knee, and I caught his eyes following the movement. But just as quickly, they returned to my face. He cracked a smile, giving me a wink that made a light flush creeping up my cheeks. "It'll be fine," he repeated.

I noticed that he'd been doing that a lot today, ever since last night and after that more passionate kiss. His eyes would follow every movement of mine. As I was walking down the stairs, his eyes would follow me. As I climbed into the car, his eyes followed me. Even when I bent down to set my purse on the car floor, his eyes followed me.

I mean, he'd watch me doing certain things once in a while before, but this time it was different. I couldn't quite describe it. His eyes didn't darken abnormally and shine with lust. They remained blank and impassive, which I hated. I could handle a teensy bit of lust flashing in his eyes, anything really, but seeing a blank look in them made me want to strangle him.

But even as impassive as they remained, I did notice the slight way they darkened, turning from a dangerous blue-green, to an intense, pure Cobalt blue.

I cocked my head at what that might mean.

I flashed Percy a smile, bringing his warm hand up and kissing his leather-clad knuckles, the material rubbery yet soft under my lips.

"It'll be fine."

* * *

 **So was that much of a cliffhanger? Didn't want to leave you guys _too_ stressed out. I also added some Nico in there, cause there's been a lack of him in this story. I really enjoyed writing that talk with him and Annabeth. Both angsty adults with parent problems. But I love him, and I've been wanting to add him more into the story, so there you go! What'd you guys think of Athena's excuse? What's up with Percy watching Annabeth so much?**

 **Also, going on vacation to Michigan this weekend and returning late Monday, so the next update might be on Saturday or Sunday, so hold tight.**

 **Schools been going better, and omfg fuck my life, they made us start changing into our gym uniform in the locker rooms, which suck ass. I'm fucking tired and sick.**

 **I love you all and I hope you guys have a magnificent weekend because FUCK YES! NO SCHOOL MONDAY! LABOR OR WHATEVERTHEFUCK DAY!**

 **Anyway, love you guys ≤33**

 **~Kat (almost forgot to add my signature goodbye, whoops!)**


	30. Chapter 29

**Hey guys! I managed to update early! Aren't I amazing? Lmao, no I'm not. But here it is! What did you guys do this weekend? I had so much fun, I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous and amazingly retarded my family is XD but that's my family for you. But anyway! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter ≤3**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **All those letters you put make me think you're choking or dying XD and don't worry, you were the first review to come in ((: I love Percy so much too, I have no words to express how much I love him. Like seriously. And ikr? Athena's making Annabeth stress out too much right now. But about the Annabeth x Nico thing, I'm glad you found it adorable! I was aiming for that. I needed some bonding between them, cuz there hasn't been much talking between the two in this story. Also, Nico's not himself of he isn't gay! But I mean, its also interesting when people write stories with Thalico in them, but I much prefer a gay Nico. Besides, I enjoyed writing about how Nico got his little crush on Percy (; that was fun XD And don't stress out too much about Percy and his father's convo, it'll turn out fine...maybe. Your reviews make me smile so much, my cheeks start to hurt. But thank you for that! You're so sweet and kind, it's incredible. All your reviews add a boost to my ego, so thanks :D lmao, just kidding, but seriously! You're so nice, thank you so much, love ≤33**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Wow, really? That's awesome! I loved it over there. If you saw a tall girl with long caramel colored hair surrounded by like, fifteen people, that's me ;D and I'm glad you enjoyed their bonding! Friendshipness hmm... Yep, it's a word. I'mma be using it now. But I'm glad you liked the chapter! Hope you enjoy this one (:**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Wow, you were right on time then (: and I'm so glad! I tried to add as much Percabethness in it as possible, and I'm guessing I added the perfect amount! And yeah, I used to love P.E but now...no thanks. School sucks ass. And wow, you reread the whole thing already? That's awesome ((: as for Nico, I don't know (':**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Happy to hear that! And hmm...that's a pretty good guess. Athena's being really weird lately. And yeah...sorry about that. Guess I get kind of carried away. But also, the autocorrect always messes everything up and adds in f words when I don't want them there. So that sucks a lot. But I went and edited it, so don't worry. I'll try to control my language, but sorry if it gets carried away again. It most likely will XD but anyway, thank you so much! ≤33**

 _ **bdaygirl:**_ **Ok... your review made me panic a little, but I'm just saying now..that's not what happens. And was it your birthday? Not sure if an Ava or Isabelle will appear in this story...but we'll see! And don't worry, we're all weird. I am too (:**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Oh no! I wish you my best luck. How has hell been so far? And I'm so glad you enjoyed the Percabeth I put in there. I think I put in the right amount :D hope this update lightens your mood about being locked up in the place we call prison! ≤33 Hang in there.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im so glad it made you feel that way! Always happy to hear my readers getting excited when they see a new chapter ≤3 and yes, I do know what you mean. But there's still a little while longer until this story comes to an end. Hope you enjoy this chapter, love ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Hmm...that would be _very_ interesting and you all would hate me, but no, Bianca is not the spy. Good guess tho. I can see why you would think that. And uh oh, hope you didn't go blind staring at a screen all day XD it'd be my fault. But here's the next update! Hope you enjoy it ≤3**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Thats great! Happy to hear that it was (: And I also live for sweet Percabeth moments. They make me so giddy and happy and dizzy- it's just awesome. And do you mean from Sworn off Love or the actual books? If so from the books then that's hard to choose from. There are so many! But I'd have to go with...how angry Percy was when Annabeth was stabbed in the arm. Also when they were having that amazingly adorable conversation afterwards while she was healing. It's just- omgs, it fills me with so many feels! And as for Sworn off Love...I love the part when Percy's just holding Annabeth as she talks to Athena and giving her random kisses. I loved adding that in there ≤3 what about you?**

 _ **Queenbooklover:**_ **Im so happy you are! And uh oh, I don't want to be the reason that you're randomly passing out everywhere XD and I _love_ your username ≤33**

 _ **thesweetscentofbooks:**_ **Um, can I just say that I am in pure love with your username? Books smell amazing! They're my favorite scent...which isn't weird at all... Anyway, that's not stupid! You're not far off actually...**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Dont die! I'mma keep writing!**

 _ **niki4ever3:**_ **Oh no...that's a shame ): but I understand. Maybe you'll find some time soon (: But thanks! Who knows what's wrong with Athena? She's being weird... And you'll find out soon...**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Soooo you mean more sexual?... If yes, then remember how Annabeth feels about all of that stuff. She's been scarred for life, so she's tuning out of the sexual activity. But out will build up between the two, I can tell you that. As for Leyna, be patient (: and for the Olympian deaths... I can't promise anything. There will be deaths, but I won't say who.**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Welcome back! And oh no! Writers block sucks )): but im glad and think its a good idea that you're rereading some of favorite fics to get ideas ((: as for all your suspicions...they're actually pretty good. I wont tell you if you're wrong or right, but all I'm saying is that you might be on to something (':**

 **How are you all so sweet? You guys are amaZhang ≤33**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Percy parked in front of the company building, a huge and spacious-looking building covered in glass windows, the blue sky and clouds reflecting off of it as if the building itself was projecting an image of it. The building was pretty tall and wide, a high peak jutting off of it at the very top, the sun shining a bright spotlight on it's peak. My Mother's company building was obviously much more beautiful, but I digress.

Percy turned off the engine and took out the keys, exhaling as he sat back against the seat. I took his hand and smiled warmly at him. "It'll be fine."

Percy managed a weak smile, bringing my hand up to kiss my knuckles. "Let's just hope you're right."

* * *

"How nervous are you?" I asked as Percy pressed a button with the number fifteen in it's center in bold.

Percy scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall of the elevator. "I'm not nervous."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head to the side, smiling amusedly. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, really," he responded, lips curling into their infamous smirk. "In fact, you seem more nervous about this than I am."

I shifted my weight onto my hip, catching Percy's eyes following the movement. I tried hard not to raise an eyebrow and settled for crossing my arms over my chest, mimicking him. "Because I am," I replied, smirking at him. "But I'm not a pussy and I actually admit it."

He cracked a teasing grin, his pearly whites on display. "You calling me a pussy, Wise Girl?"

I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his leather-clad body, grinning up at him. "Yes I am, Seaweed Brain. Problem?"

He chuckled, lowering his forehead against mine. "Not at all."

Suddenly, his lips were against mine, moving in a fluid motion. His arms wrapped around my waist, causing his leather gloves to brush against the bare skin of my stomach my camisole crop top allowed to be on display. But I didn't care.

Huh. I didn't care.

That was a first in a while.

Normally, I would've frozen up on the spot and pushed him away, beginning to feel my heart rate speeding up and breathing turning ragged in my throat. But not this time. Percy's finger tips brushing my bare skin didn't send me into panic. Instead, I felt safe, even. I felt a swarm of butterflies explode in my stomach, a warm wave washing over me and filling my body with a hot heat I hadn't felt in a long time.

I forgot how _good_ this feeling felt.

I wound my hands in his soft, ever-messy hair, pulling at the tips of locks. Percy's arms tightened around me, pushing my body for against his. I felt Percy's tongue glide against my bottom lip slowly, asking for permission. I granted it to him, because I trusted him.

I hoped I wasn't making a mistake doing that.

The elevator continued to move, and at the moment I wasn't thinking about the elevator stopping to pick up more people. Right now, I couldn't seem to form any thoughts. Percy was leaving me breathless by the second, and I wanted this moment to last forever.

His tongue explored my mouth, going at a normal pace. Not too fast. Not too slow.

It was just right.

* * *

We walked towards Poseidon's office, still a bit breathless and lips slightly swollen. My ponytail was probably more messed up than it already was, but whatever. Percy's hair was more wild than usual, a smirk on his face as he gripped my hand and lead me towards his father's office.

Heat rose to my face as the events from the elevator came to mind, turning my stomach to mush. I shook my head, my cheeks flushed. "That was so embarrassing."

Percy's smirk widened, and I wanted to kick him in the balls in that moment. "No it wasn't. It was awesome."

I narrowed my eyes at him and gave him a hard shove, but he barely moved an inch. "You wouldn't get your fucking hands off of me even after that lady came into the elevator!"

Percy laughed. "You didn't stop me, either."

I rolled my eyes. "You're such an ass."

Percy laughed again and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer against him. "You don't really mean that, do you Wise Girl?" He muttered, a teasing smirk on his face.

I jabbed my elbow into his side, this time getting a grunt out of him. I smiled sweetly at him. "You know I do, Seaweed Brain."

A hand to his stomach, he chuckled and shook his head, already having composed himself. "Damn. Someone sure doesn't like PDA."

I rolled my eyes. "No, I don't. Problem?" I answered sarcastically.

He winked at me, causing my throat to constrict in an oddly pleasing way. "Not at all." He reached out an pulled me to his side again, my shirt riding up even farther against my waist.

We continued walking down the extremely long hallway, occasionally taking turns which lead to another mile-long hall. Percy held me against him the whole time, his arm never removing itself from my waist.

Normally, I'd be running the opposite direction if he ever held me this close against him. But the gesture felt safe. He held me this way to make sure no one touched me. I couldn't resist the grateful smile that slid into my face. He was protecting me. Just like he said he would.

We had passed many other employees as we strode down the hall, all in nicely pressed suits and not a single hair out of place. I had caught at least two of the men we'd passed eyes wandering over my frame, but they instantly blanched when they noticed the murderous glare Percy sent their way.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, your eyes are going to stay narrowed into slits if you don't relax them." I smiled wistfully, remembering telling him something similar like that not more than a month ago. **(Damn, chapter 16 seems like so long ago...)**

His eyes flashed. "It's not my fault those men keep staring at you. I'll tear them apart if they look at you again."

Again, that blazing fire in his eyes made me weak in the knees, and I was glad that I was pressed up so tightly against him, because I was sure my legs wouldn't work if I was walking on my own. Knowing that he was this angry because men just gave me a glance...that sure did something to a girl.

I cleared my throat, trying to suppress the flush that I felt rising up my neck. "Don't you think you should've worn something more...I don't know, professional?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes giving me a quick once-over. "Says the girl showing her half of her upper and lower body to the whole world."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a smack on the arm. "But I'm not talking about myself, dumbass." I sighed. "Besides, I'm a supermodel, remember? People are used to me wearing clothes like this." _Fuck,_ I thought, my eyes widening. _Im so stupid._

He knit his eyebrows. "What?"

I grimaced. "I forgot to wear some sort of thing that covers me up. Now we gotta watch out for the people who look like they're on drugs when they see me."

"Don't you have some sunglasses or something in your purse?" He asked, tightening his grip around me.

I reached into my purse and successfully pulled out some sunglasses, covering my world-known gray eyes. "Let's just see if these will do."

Percy snorted. "Hopefully. I don't want to have to drag you out of here."

"I doubt these people know who I even am, though. They seem too absorbed in their work to notice what goes on in the world," I said, running a hand through my ponytail.

"Don't say that," Percy warned. "Next thing you know people will be screaming your name and tackling you to the ground."

I snorted. "Then goodbye, Annabeth Chase."

Percy rolled his eyes and gave me a sudden kiss on the top of my head. "Lets not say goodbye to you just yet."

We walked down a couple more hallways until we reached a nice set of double doors, sleek black and so shiny, I could see my reflection on them. **Poseidon Jackson** the plating on the side of it said.

"So official," I muttered as we came to a stop.

Percy smiled down at me. "Ready to see my dick of a Dad again?"

I bit my lip. "It'll be fine," was all I said.

Then we went in.

* * *

"Ah, Miss Annabeth Chase. I knew I'd see you soon enough," was the first thing Poseidon said when we entered his office.

There he was, standing in front of his sleek black desk, a coffee mug in one hand and a broad smile on his face.

I propped my sunglasses on the top of my head and dipped my head in lieu of hello. "Nice to see you again, Poseidon."

He raised his coffee mug and set it down beside him. "Likewise, Miss Chase. How's Athena?"

I clenched my jaw tightly, a pang of sadness and irritation hitting my chest at the mention of my Mother. "She's doing fine on her own."

He nodded. "Very good, very good. And how are you, Miss Chase?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'm being watched and targeted on, but what else is new?"

Poseidon clucked his tongue. "Huh." He inhaled through his nose as his eyes drifted towards Percy, standing stiffly beside me. "Perseus," he acknowledged with a smile.

I could practically feel Percy trying hard not to cringe at the name. "Hello, Father."

Poseidon tilted his head to the side. "How are you, son?"

Percy crossed his arms over his chest, staring at his Father straight in the eyes. "Never been better, Dad," he quipped, a tinge of anger evident in his tone.

Poseidon stared at Percy for a while, his expression stoic. The tension in the room was as thick as an elephant's skin, and I wanted nothing more than to say something to break the silence. But what would I say?

That was the problem.

Luckily, I didn't have to say anything because Poseidon suddenly cleared his throat. "Might I have a word with you, Perseus?" He glanced at me. "Alone?"

Percy opened his mouth to what I think was to protest, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by me putting a hand on his arm.

He met my eyes, his green orbs glinting with irritation and slight worry. I smiled at him. "It's okay. I'll just wait outside."

Percy's eyes narrowed, and I knew he wanted to say no. I stared him dead in the eye, clenching my teeth slightly. He needed to talk to Poseidon. With everything going on, it's the best thing to do, and how would he keep us safe if he can't even talk to the person he was supposed to trust most?

But I guess I knew how he felt.

"Fine," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I'll be out there in a few minutes."

I smiled and reached up to give him a kiss in the lips, then turned and strode out the door, leaving Percy alone in a room with his Father.

Alone.

Such a depressing word.

* * *

 **Percy's POV: (been a while)**

"So," Poseidon said, leaning back against his desk. He raised an eyebrow at me. "You and Annabeth?"

I suppressed an eye roll and settled for sitting down in one of the couches of his office.

It was a spacious room, the windows displaying a great view of the city and allowing light to travel into the room from all directions. My Dad's desk was polished and neat, not a single paper out of place. The smell of coffee wafted into the room, making my head dizzy and making my anger worse.

Coffee wasn't soothing me.

It was making me want to snap someone's arm in half.

"Yeah," was all I responded to my Father's question, not wanting to dwell on how Annabeth's and I's relationship worked. It was a confusing thing, after all. We simply liked each other. Not loved. _Liked._ There would never be love in the equation of our relationship.

Because we were both sworn off love.

"How long?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

I narrowed my eyes, gritting my teeth involuntarily. "About a month already."

He set the mug down and nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. Good."

Awkward silence settles upon us. I willed myself not to growl in annoyance. I hated silence. It made my nerves boil painfully, and just made my mood worse.

 _Talk,_ my mind snarled. _Punch a wall. Break something. Do fucking_ something.

I sighed, standing up. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at my Father. "What did I want to talk about? I'm tired of waiting for you to say whatever shit you wanted to tell me."

Poseidon rubbed his forehead and exhaled through his mouth. He looked up at me with sudden tired eyes that made me blink in surprise. "First, did you bring the papers?"

I wordlessly slipped my hand into the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out the three-paged packet and tossed it onto his desk.

His eyes followed the packet as it slid across the sleek desk, finally coming to a stop at the center of the wooden table. He sighed and fixed his troubled eyes on me.

"Did you hear what happened to two groups of The Olympians at all?" He asked simply.

His voice was emotionless, but just the tone of it made my blood turn cold. "No. No one has told me anything. What happened?"

"Forty members of The Olympians were killed this morning around ten forty-five," he announced, his eyes suddenly glinting irritatedly and with an unmistakable sadness.

My heart thumped in my chest. " _What?"_

He nodded. "What did you send Silena and Beckendorf's groups to do today?"

I swallowed thickly, a cold ball of dread crawling up my throat. "I had sent them to go to a building and steal the weapons the owners of the building had stashed there."

Poseidon tapped his fingers lightly on his desk, his green eyes dark. "Well, a group ambushed them there and shot them all dead." He looked my in the eye, his expression suddenly pained. "Including Silena and Beckendorf."

" _No,"_ I whispered, feeling my legs start to wobble. I stepped back, crashing against the couch and falling into it. "No."

Sharp jabs of pain hit my chest in all directions, sadness, fury, and disbelief building up inside my stomach. They can't be dead. _They can't._

Angry tears pricked at my eyes, and I clenched my jaw hard. This was my fault. I was such an idiot. I shouldn't had let them go. _Fucking stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

I swallowed once more, raking a numb hand through my hair. "No one else knew about that mission. No one."

Poseidon's expression was grim. "Those spies you were talking about. There must've been one in either group."

Anger boiled in my chest, and I felt like tearing apart everything in sight. This was my fault. All my fucking fault. And because of me, I had cost the lives of two of my most loyal members.

The lives of two of the people in my family.

Beckendorf. Silena. Those two had been destined to spend their whole lives together. Beckendorf had told me he was planning on proposing to Silena. Now that would never happen. Because they were dead. And it was all my fault.

"Did anyone make it out alive?" I asked, my tone oddly emotionless.

My Father shrugged, his mouth set in a tight line. "Im not sure. I doubt anyone could have lived through that shooting, but if at least one of them did, then they must've been the spy in one of the groups."

I stood up, my whole body feeling numb and heavy. "I have to go. Annabeth's waiting for me." The pain was evident in my tone, and I couldn't push down the heavy weight of sadness washing over me. I felt like crying, and I _never_ cried. Except when it came to my Mother.

But the loss of Silena and Beckendorf was worth crying for.

* * *

I clenched the wheel hard, the leather of my gloves making my palms sweat and start to sore. I stared at the road with narrow eyes, swallowing down the chokes threatening to burst out of my throat.

Annabeth kept shooting me troubled glances throughout the whole ride. When I had exited my Father's office, I hadn't said a word to her, simply grabbed her arm and dragged her out of that building.

She was obviously angry at me for not saying anything to her, for ignoring all of her questions. I felt guilty making her think I was mad at her, and I wanted to tell her I wasn't, but my voice wouldn't function. I was sure a sob would break out if I tried to talk. I fought down the tears burning in my eyes and clenched the wheel tighter. This was all my fault.

Piper would be devastated. Her heartbreaking sobs would ring throughout the whole house. Leo as well. Him and Beckendorf were family. And now neither of them would ever see Silena and Beckendorf again. Because they were dead.

I felt something wet tickle my cheek as it slowly traced a path. I fought down a growl and pushed my shoulder up to my face to brush the tear away.

The movement unfortunately caught Annabeth's attention, and she glanced at me with scarily dark gray eyes, but they were instantly filled with concern when she saw the still wet mark on my cheek.

"Percy," she said, her by voice filled with worry. She placed a hand on my arm, her gray long fingernails glinting. "What's wrong? What happened?"

I didn't answer her. I kept my jaw locked and forced my gaze to remain on the road.

" _Percy,"_ she demanded, her voice firm and peeved. "Pull over."

My eyes stole a glance at her face, full of annoyance yet deep concern. Her eyes were stormy, a dark thunderstorm brewing in her beautiful eyes.

"Please," she said softly.

I nodded slightly, not being able to say no to her when she was looking at me with such worry. I pulled over in front of a tall building, killing the engine.

"Percy, what's wrong?" She asked again, setting a delicate hand on my knee.

I kept my eyes on the keys dangling from their place.

"Percy," she said sharply. "Look at me."

My eyes slowly met hers, and in her gray irises I could see myself, my face tight and angry, green eyes dark and pained.

Her face softened, bringing up a manicured hand to caress my cheek. "What did Poseidon tell you?" She asked softly.

I clenched my fists tightly, but then Annabeth's hand appeared on top of them, forcing me to relax.

I inhaled through my nose. "He told me that there had been an ambush today on two groups of The Olympians." Annabeth's eyes widened. "I had sent them to go rob some weapons, but then another group came out and shot them all dead."

I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling another sharp pang hit my chest. "Including Silena and Beckendorf."

Annabeth took a sharp breath, her hand flying to her mouth. She shook her head, her eyes already glassy with tears. "You can't be serious," she whispered, her voice pained.

I nodded numbly.

"Oh God," she choked out, tears streaming down either cheek.

I shook my head, feeling angry at myself. "This is all my fault. I should've never sent them on that mission when I knew we were being watched. If it wasn't for me, they'd still be alive."

Annabeth shook her head, her glossy lips trembling. "Percy, no. This was not your fault. You couldn't have prevented their deaths. Don't blame yourself for this."

"Then what do I do, Annabeth?" I asked, laughing without humor. "I can't go on about my life like nothing happened. They were my family. All of those members were. It's my job to protect them, and instead I send them to their deaths. I'm fucking stupid."

"Oh, Percy," Annabeth breathed, her cheeks tear-stained.

She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned towards me, wrapping her delicate arms around me. She stroked my back as her other hand wound it's way up into my hair, softly stroking my scalp.

I breathed in her lemony scent, so uniquely her. It was now, right here in her arms, that I finally let the tears out. I felt pathetic. Gang leaders weren't supposed to cry. But half of my family was dead. And I was the cause of that.

Annabeth hummed softly, clutching me tightly against her. "It's okay," she soothed softly. "It's okay to cry, Percy. Just let it all out. Im right here. It's okay. Just cry."

And so I did.

* * *

"Howd it go?" Bianca asked as we entered the house. Bianca frowned when she noticed Annabeth's and I's pained expressions. "What's wrong?"

"Where were the others?" Was all I asked.

Bianca opened her mouth and closed it again, dark eyebrows furrowed. "They're all in the living room. Why?"

I grabbed Annabeth's hand. "Just come."

We walked into the living room, and it hurt me to see them all laughing and smiling, when I knew they wouldn't be once I told them what was going on.

Jason spotted me first. "Hey Perce." His smile wavered. "What's up?"

"Yeah," Piper laughed, the sound filling me with sadness. "Why so doom and gloom?"

I glanced at Annabeth, whose eyes were misty and had a silvery color to them. She locked eyes with the floor.

I looked back at them all, looking curious and slightly unnerved. "Forty members of The Olympians were killed today while on a mission I had sent them on. They were ambushed."

The room fell silent, everyone's eyes wide and lips parted. "What?" Bianca whispered.

I shook my head slowly. "Silena and Beckendorf were leading the two groups. They were both killed as well."

Piper blanched, making a strangled noise at the back of her throat. "Percy, this isn't funny."

I slumped down onto a sofa, Annabeth quietly sitting down next to me.

"I never said this was a joke, Piper," I said quietly.

She shook her head, eyes already pooling with tears. "No, no, no, no. Stop, Percy. No." Her words were already choked out.

Leo stared blankly at the floor, his body suddenly having a mind of its own and slumping to his knees onto the floor. " _No,"_ he whispered. He dug his fingers into his curly hair, shaking his head. "No."

Piper was already sobbing, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. She followed Leo's example, falling to the floor and covering her mouth with her hand. "Stop," she croaked out. "She can't be dead. Silena..." Her whole body wracked violently with tears.

Jason kneeled next to her, pulling her against his chest and stroking her hair. His jaw was clenched tightly, his eyes bright with tears.

Bianca's mouth was wide open, her expression shocked.

Thalia looked like a whole mess of emotions. Her hands were clenched tightly, her face pinched, but tears swam in her electric eyes, and I watched sadly as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Reyna was also on the floor next to Leo, hugging him tightly and crying softly as well. She was shaking her head, the dark locks of her hair covering her face like a drape.

Nico's face was full of sadness, his hair hanging low on his face as he stared at the floor.

Annabeth had started crying as well also, and I reached out to wrap and arm around her and pull her in next to me. Her shoulders shook softly.

They had all been close to Silena and Beckendorf. And once I found out who else exactly was killed, I'd never be able to forgive myself. I knew every single one of my members.

All these people crying in one single room.

And it was all my fault.

* * *

The rest of the day went on sluggishly. I called off the mission to go steal those other weapons. No one trained. No one uttered a single word.

Leo and Piper had locked themselves up in their rooms, refusing to let either Jason or Reyna in. The rest went to their rooms as well, and by the way they moved, I could tell they felt numb as well.

Now, I was in the training room, repeatedly punching the punching bag set up, trying to let all the anger and sadness built up inside me go.

My shirt had been discarded, and as I stared at the swinging black bag with narrowed, blurry eyes, I thought of what might happen next.

No one in my gang was safe now. We were all being targeted. I punched the bag hard, anger building inside of me. How could I protect The Olympians when I didn't even know who was messing with us?

I growled, giving the bag one more hard punch. This was stupid. I was stupid.

"Percy," I heard someone say gently off to the side.

I was breathing hard, sweat streaking down my chest and face. I steadied the bag, resting my forehead against it, still feeling that same anger rising up inside me again. It just couldn't go away.

I heard the click of heels against the floor, and suddenly there she was, her gray eyes stormy with sadness and concern.

"Hey," she said, that melodic voice of hers calming me down just slightly. She pushed the bag away gently, making me raise my head and stare down at her. Even with those five inch heels, I was still taller than her.

She wordlessly placed a hand on my cheek, the soft texture of her hand filling me with warmth. I covered her delicate hand with my gloved one, leaning into her palm.

"Annabeth," I said softly, swallowing hard.

"Yes?" Her thumb stroked my cheek.

I shook my head. "I can't. I just can't. I'm so fucking stupid. I can't protect my family because I don't know who the hell is trying to kill us all." I looked into her eyes. "I cant protect you."

Her eyes were glassy. She placed her other hand on my sweaty arm, but she didn't seem to care. "I'm not asking you to protect me, Percy." Her voice wavered. "You have to learn that you alone can't protect everyone. This is why you have a family. They're here to help you." Her glossy lips formed a small smile. "And so am I."

I was struck all over again by how gorgeous she was. I remembered when I first laid eyes on her. She had been the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I seemed to be having that feeling all offer again. Her plush, soft lips shining effortlessly. Her golden hair glowing and as curled ad ever. Her skin practically glowing. Her stormy gray eyes, as intelligent and sharp as ever. Her dark, long lashes, brushing against her cheekbones each time she blinked. She was absolutely gorgeous.

I swallowed once more. "All I want is for my family to be safe." I whispered. I have her hand a soft squeeze. "For you to be safe."

"We don't always get what we want, Percy," she answered softly. "But I know that I will be here to help you keep your family safe. I always will."

She suddenly leaned up, her plush lips on mine, giving me a gentle kiss. My arms automatically wrapped around her small waist. Her lips moved leisuresly against mine, and I relished the feeling of security she brought with this kiss. She meant it to mean that she was here for me. She'd stick by my side always. That she was here for a reason.

And that reason was to keep me happy.

* * *

 **Awwwww. Percabeth. They make your heart melt.**

 **And I'm sorry guys. For Silena and Beckendorf. It just-had to happen. Don't hate me. And I'm sorry to Stargazer, for saying that things might go well with Poseidon. As you can see now, they didn't. I'm sorry for that.**

 **And yes, I know, this chapters short. But hey, I've been busy. Next chapter might be longer. Cause I love you guys.**

 **And omfg! You guys should read a book called _Once and for All_ by Sarah Dessen. She's just so amazing! I was nearly in tears by the end of the book! The plot is so unique and wonderful; another author and story added to my favorites list. Check her out!**

 **Love you guys, and see you next Friday! Hope you all have an amazing weekend ≤33**

 **~Kat :D**


	31. Chapter 30

**Hey everyone! How you all doing? I'm doing great so far. The reviews I got from you guys from the last chapter...Man, sorry guys. But seriously #BACKOFFHATERS lmao. Some of my good readers understand that there have to be deaths in a story to actually make it better. All those reviews saying that you guys hated me for killing off Beck and Silena? (Gods that sounds harsh) They're great! Cause they're telling me I'm actually making you guys feel something, and that's awesome for me, being a writer ((: Besides, this is a GANG AU! Of course there will be deaths. So be prepared, cause obviously there are more on the way.**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Tysm love! I love you too! And yes, it was hard for me to write. I had fought so much with myself when I was decided whether or not to make Silena and Beckendorf die. But in the end, I knew it was best for the story. You see, you're one of those readers that understands what I'd said above. That you need to cause character deaths for the story to be good. So thank you. Your words make me so happy. Thank you for being so supportive and such a kind person ≤33**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Thank you for understanding ((: and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And uh oh, I wish you so much luck with school. It's really a pain in the ass. I used to love it but now...not so much. Hope you like this chapter ≤3**

 _ **benjabay:**_ **Glad to hear that I'm writing a story with those elements! The more suspense, the better. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Sorry! I just get so excited to update a chapter once I'm done with it, and that's usually really late. So I'm sorry! I'll try to work on that so you won't have to stay up that late XD and really? That's funny. The people at my school, when we're going up the stairs, they randomly yell out, for example, "KAT YOU'RE MAKING A SCENE!" And they totally embarrass the person because now everyone's looking at them. But it's funny. And I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **bdaygirl:**_ **Ahhh ok. That makes sense. It's cool that you have a nickname. My whole family calls me "guera," since I have dirty blonde hair and pale-ish skin. As for Leo dropping to the floor, well, Beckendorf was his cousin. They were pretty close. So yeah. And hmm... _what about them?_ You'll have to find out later (;**

 _ **Random Guest:**_ **Glad you loved it! And I'm sorry I'm giving you so many mixed emotions. Can't help myself. Hope you enjoy this chapter! ≤33**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Writers gotta do what a writers gotta do.**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ ***Sighs* yeah, I know. But like I said earlier, BACK OFF HATERS! I can deal and respect criticism, but people just word it so awfully. But thank you so much,** **darling, for understanding that in stories, to make them good, you have to add some deaths in them. Thank you for being such a huge support and being so wonderfully nice. You actually give me criticism, yes, but you say it in a subtle way, so thank you for that. Greatly appreciated ((: I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful rest of your day ≤33**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Aw, that really was cute. Percy wouldn't even sleep thinking about how she was doing and if she was alive or not. Warms my heart. And yes, I'm sorry about Silena and Beckendorf, but thank you for not hating me for it. Really appreciated ((: About Percy and Poseidon's relationship, that's true. I wanted to make it a complicated sort of relationship. But I'm glad you like it. I hope you like this chapter, love ≤33**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Lmao, you'll be surprised about what's gonna happen in this chapter with Percabeth (; as for Leyna, patience child. Leyna is a special ship that takes time. We'll get there (': and I'm so sorry about Beck and Silena. It just had to happen, just like Clay had to be on Hannah's tapes for her story to move along. Oh my gods. That's the perfect example! XD sorry, anyway, thank you! I'll try my very best.**

 _ **CaptainPokemon1:**_ **Why, thank you! I'm so glad you like this story. And of course! I'm welcome to New characters in this story, since I do have my own OC's in here too. I will definitely find a place for him in Sworn off Love, and when the time comes, I might PM you! Thank you so much for the character, and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing :/**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

Friday rolled around pretty quickly, and still, the feeling of depression lingered in the house.

Piper and Leo had eventually come out of their rooms, their eyes bloodshot and radiant smiles no where to be seen on their faces. Leo wasn't cracking any more jokes, and he had not made one move to flirt with Reyna.

Piper was different too. Her usual sarcasm about everything was gone, replaced by sobs that would unexpectedly hit her. Her dazzling smile was gone, and that excitement she always held was no where to be seen.

It was enough to make all of us want to cry.

We had scheduled a small funeral for Beckendorf and Silena next weekend. We'd also be reading off the names of all the other members that died. Many of them I'd talked to. Trained with. Helped. And now they were dead.

Because of me.

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, sitting up from my bed. It was already five in the afternoon. I glanced at my leather jacket swung over one of the chairs in my room.

I needed fresh air. To get out of a house that radiated pure sadness.

I quickly got up and grabbed my jacket, swinging it over my gray shirt.

Then I walked out of my room.

* * *

I made a quick trip to the kitchen to grab my Ray Bans to cover my well known green eyes, patting my back pocket to make sure I had my gun. Just in case.

I silently walked over to the door, not wanting anyone to see me leaving the house. If they caught me, they sure as hell wouldn't let me go. But I had to. I can't stand feeling trapped in this house, no matter how dangerous it is to go out into the city right now.

As I swung open the door and felt a wave of relief that I hadn't been seen yet, someone spoke behind me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I bit my lip and grimaced. Annabeth.

I turned around, seeing her standing in front of the staircase, dressed in wedged sneakers, a gray cardigan over a white shirt, and denim high waisted shorts.

Her eyes were stormy, staring at me inquisitively with a sharp stern look to them.

 _Damn it._

"Percy?" She asked.

I groaned. "Annabeth, I can't stay here. I need some fresh air. Everyone's depressed and I just-" I shook my head with a sigh. "I need to go out."

Annabeth studied me, her expression softening. She stayed quiet for a moment, and for a second I thought she might let me leave in peace. Unfortunately, my hopes never come true.

"Fine," she sighed, biting her bottom lip. "But I'm going with you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Annabeth, no. It's too danger-"

"I'm going," she said in a tone that left no room to argue. Her eyes turned sharp. "Or else I swear to God I will tie you to the punching bag downstairs and not let you take a fucking step anywhere."

I rolled my eyes, wanting to protest so much right now, but this woman was as stubborn as her Mother. I sighed, running a hand through my hair, shoulders slumping. "Fine," I muttered reluctantly.

She smiled, walking over to me.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Now I _know_ you're Athena's daughter."

She laughed, giving me a soft kiss on the lips. "Don't you forget it."

* * *

"Oh hell no."

I grinned at Annabeth as I sat on the motorcycle, beckoning her to get on.

She shook her head adamantly, watching the cycle with a weary expression. "I'm not getting on that thing."

I shrugged, tapping my fingers on the handle of the bike. "Then you can go back inside if you don't wanna ride on this, because I'm not going out into the city by car." I smirked at her smugly. "It's no problem at all."

She huffed, her eyes turning into slits as she stared at me. "You're such a dick," she hissed, but she swung her legs over the bike and wrapped her arms around my waist nonetheless.

I laughed and gunned the motorcycle. "Hold on, Miss Chase."

* * *

"PERCY! Slow down, Goddammit!" Annabeth yelled over the road of the engine as we rode through the streets of Manhattan.

I laughed and propelled the bike forward, zipping around cars and turning corners wildly. Annabeth yelped, tightening her grip around my waist and digging her face into my back.

"Scared, babe?" I chuckled, winding my way around a car.

"Fuck you," I heard her growl behind me, a waver to her voice. Grinning wildly, I made a crazy turn and zipped down one street.

"SLOW THE FUCK DOW-PEERRCYY!" Annabeth shrieked, her hands balling up in my t-shirt.

I couldn't control the laughter that escaped my lips. I needed this. I needed to feel the wind pushing my hair against my forehead and taking the air out of my lungs. I needed to laugh. I needed to feel the adrenaline I get whenever I ride my motorcycle. I needed to have Annabeth there with me, her arms wrapped around me and her body pressed against mine. I needed to feel alive and free.

And I did.

The light ahead of us turned red, but I zipped right past it.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelped. "You passed the red light, dumbass!"

"I don't give a shit!" I laughed, making a turn on one street.

"You're so stupid!" She yelled. "Slow down!"

In response, I simply accelerated the bike to go faster.

"PERCY!" She shrieked, her hold on me tightening to a death grip. "I TOLD YOU TO FUCKING SLOW DOWN, GODDAMN YOU!"

"Relax!" I shouted, cackling with laughter. "I'll try not to hit anything!" I purposely drove onto the sidewalk, causing the whole bunch of pedestrians there to scream and press up against the wall. "Whoops!"

"FUCK YOU!" Annabeth shouted. "YOU'RE GONNA KILL SOMEONE!"

"Kinda the point, darling," I snickered, taking a quick glance behind me to see some people staring after us, some even whipping out their phones. At least three people were cussing at us and giving us the finger.

"Cops any second now," I muttered, a smirk sliding onto my face.

"What?!"

I grinned, propelling the cycle forward.

It was only about five minutes before I heard the familiar wail of sirens in the distance.

"Percy!" Annabeth said sharply.

"I know, I know," I smirked. "Let's play some tag."

I turned the motorcycle around, narrowly avoiding some cars as the honked in protest. One swerved off the road and crashed into a lampost. I laughed, driving straight in the direction the wail of sirens was coming from.

Soon enough, I saw the flashing lights of the police cars as they rounded a corner and headed straight for us.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Annabeth shouted over the roar of the wind and engine.

"Just hold on, Wise Girl." I chuckled, still heading in the direction of the three police cars. When I was within ten feet of them, I quickly turned down a corner. I heard the screeching of tires as the cars tried to follow.

"PERCY!" Annabeth screamed, digging her face into my back.

I shook my head, smirking at her antics before making a swift turn down one street, the honking of the protests of cars echoing through the streets.

The wail of police cars was getting closer, and I looked over my shoulder to see only two of the cars gaining on me.

I set my jaw, peering down different streets. _Where was the other one?_

My question was answered when blue and red lights flashed in front of me, he police car having come at me from the alley to my right.

I slowed down slightly, glancing behind me to see the two other cars slowing down as well, cornering me.

"Percy, what the hell did you get us into?" Annabeth hissed into my ear, her minty breath fanning my neck.

I grinned, speeding up the motorcycle once again. "I got us into a nice little game."

I raced straight towards the police car in front of me, Annabeth's screams and the roar of the wind in my ear deafening me. My eyes watered slightly, the air still a bit humid from the June weather.

Just as we were about to collide with the patrol car, I used all my strength to hoist the bike up, sending us crashing against the hood of the car and back towards the cement again.

Annabeth shrieked in protest, her nails digging into my shirt. I laughed, hearing the sound of gunshots behind me. I swerved down one street and continued winding through the city of Manhattan, Annabeth cussing wildly into the air.

But even through the screech of tires and swear words and sounds of gunshots ringing through the air, we never heard the sound of the simple click of a camera.

* * *

"So," I said, sitting down on the grass and leaning against the trunk of the big maple tree. I grinned at Annabeth. "What'd you think?"

She swallowed, licking her cracked and dry lips. Her cheeks were flushed, hair wild and looking as if she just walked through a tornado. I was positively sure I didn't look any better. Already I felt a couple of cuts on my face. Annabeth ran hand through her messy locks, wincing when her fingernails caught on what I'm guessing was a knot.

She sat down next to me, giving me a look that I couldn't decipher. "What do I _think_?" She finally asked incredulously. "I think that you're an arrogant dumbass that needs to learn how to _slow the fuck down."_

I laughed. "Aw, c'mon. You loved it."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, the corners of her lips tugging upwards. "I guess it was kinda fun."

I smiled, bringing my hand up to wipe my thing across a small cut she had gotten on her temple. "Of course it was."

She laughed softly. "You look like a mess."

I smirked. "Me looking like a mess let's me _know_ I was driving that motorcycle properly."

She cocked her head to the side, smiling bemusedly. "Mh, I don't think so. It let's you know that you're going to be thrown into jail one of these days."

I chuckled. "Don't wish on that too much. I'm not _that_ stupid."

She raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

I frowned in mock-hurt. "Damn, I thought you'd agree with me, but instead you actually call me stupid. I see where I stand now."

That gorgeous laugh of hers rang into the air, bringing a smile out of my lips effortlessly. I held out my arm, and she wordlessly crawled next to me, snuggling herself into me. I pulled her close against me, her lemony scent clouding over me like a warm breeze.

I stroked her hair softly as she lightly tapped her long gray fingernails over my stomach, a rhythmitic motion that made me feel something close to calmness, something I hadn't felt in the two months I've known Annabeth.

Wow. Two months already. Hitting close to three in just a week. July was coming already. Let's see if we'll find some peace in that month. Because May and June haven't seemed to like us much.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Annabeth said suddenly, continuing to tap her fingernails against my shirt.

I smiled. "Yeah?"

She sat up, looking at me curiously through half-lidded eyes. "Why'd your parents name you Perseus?"

My smile wavered just slightly, turning more into a sad one. "Well. Have you ever heard of the Greek hero Perseus?"

Annabeth nodded slowly, her eyebrows furrowing with interest. I bit the inside of my cheek. "My Mom use to always tell me about all his adventures and how he was such a powerful, intelligent man. She told me about how lucky he was, managing not to get killed with all the quests he went on. She said I reminded her of that hero." I crossed my legs, one over the other. "I'd asked her why she had given me such a name, that why couldn't I have gotten a normal, everyday name. My Mom had grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eye, that serious yet loving look twinkling in her eyes.

"I still remember, to this day, what she told me. 'You are special,' she had said. 'You will become a smart, powerful, and loyal man when you grow up. You already are all those things. Just like the hero Perseus himself. You will do great things in life, just as he did. You're special in your own way, just like Perseus was. You will be an even greater hero than he ever was. Don't you ever forget that.'" I swallowed thickly, already feeling my saliva turning heavy with tears I would refuse to let show. I managed to meet Annabeth's gaze, her beautiful eyes staring at me with a look of I couldn't decipher.

I shook my head, my gaze flickering back to the grass I began to pick at with my fingers. "I feel so bad, Annabeth. My Mother said I'd do great things in life, when now all in doing is murdering people, tearing down buildings, ransacking important stores, and terrorizing the whole country with just the whisper of the name Riptide." I laughed bitterly. "But God, Annabeth, that's not what I feel bad about. What makes me feel like I've let her down is that I _like_ doing all those things. My happiness comes from tearing down the whole United States and putting a blade between people's shoulders. Just doing all those actions that would make the whole government fall to it's knees makes me feel so _good."_

With some struggle, I rose my eyes to meet hers, those piercing orbs simply staring back at me, burning a hole through me. Her lips were pursed, face void of emotion. I gave her a dry smile. "Committing crimes and killing people is like sex for me, Annabeth. I can't stop. I _dont_ want to stop. I want to keep doing it, forcing myself never to tire from it. It leaves me breathless, feeling alive and full of adrenaline. And I keep coming back for more. I always will." I whispered the last part, my eyes flickering down to her hands, lightly clenched as they sat on her smooth, golden thighs. I let my gaze wander to her face again.

Annabeth's eyes had widened for a fraction, and I wordlessly leaned back against the tree, staring at the bright green leaves hanging from the thick branches, blocking the sun from my view.

I smirked dryly. "You must think I'm a monster now, don't you?"

Annabeth was silent for a while, but I could feel her gaze burning through me like a ray sunlight through a window.

"Percy, I-" her voice broke off, and I glanced over at her to see her shaking her head. "I don't know what to tell you." She said softly. "I don't think you're a monster. I don't know what you feel like. I don't know how it feels like to get a rush of adrenaline whenever you blow up a building. But that's just it. I don't think anyone does. I do know one thing, though."

I sat up then, my eyebrows knitted. "And what's that?"

She gave me a soft, genuine smile that made my heart skip a beat against it's own will. "Your mom was right. You _are_ special." She grabbed my cold hand, her warm ones sending s tingle through me, her gray orbs not straying from mine. "No one else feels happy when they kill someone. No one else has that fierce protectiveness and loyalty you have for those you care about. No one else has the strength to do all the things you do. Because only _you,_ Perseus, has those things." She gave my hand a squeeze, her gray eyes turning silvery. "Because you're special. You never let your mom down, because you became the man she wanted you to be. Intelligent, powerful, loyal." She said in a breathy voice that made me swallow hard. "You never let her down."

She leaned towards me, placing a gentle kiss on my lips that made my stomach feel as if a thousand butterflies were set free and fluttering about inside me. She looked at me with such a fierce look of certainty, my heart seemed to leap out of my throat.

"You haven't let anyone down," she whispered softly. "Don't you ever forget that."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

We stayed laying in the grass in that secluded area of a park Percy had brought us to for quite a while. Percy even took a nap. It was so peaceful and quiet, free from the devastating reality. The reality that made us do nothing but suffer.

After about an hour, we drove back home on the motorcycle, Percy still seeming to try hard to get the cops to chase us down again. I swear, that man attracts the police more than honey attracts bees. He's insane.

He parked the cycle in the same spot it had been when we had stepped in here, and I wasn't surprised to see at least twenty scratches on various areas of it. The rubber wheels had seemed to be burned off, turning to a grayish color, the black wiped off.

"You killed the poor thing," I commented as Percy removed his leather fingerless gloves from his hands. His piercing green eyes studied the bike, and that infamous smirk of his that made a flush creep up my neck danced on his lips

"Then that would mean that all of my vehicles are dead now," he said dryly, shoving the gloves into his back pocket.

I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my now tangled mess of curls, wincing when my fingernails caught on a knot. I shot Percy a look, knowing that it was his fault that my hair was a knotted mess of curls.

He grinned wryly, eyes flickering to my hair and back to my face again. The bastard. "What?" He asked lightly.

I stuck my tongue out at him, to which he just chuckled.

"Even doing such a rude gesture, you're still so cute," he laughed.

"Let's just go inside," I hissed, already walking towards the exit of the large garage.

Behind me, Percy laughed, the heavy steps of his boots on the floor echoing throughout the building.

* * *

"How much money do you think it will take to repair all the things you broke and all the injuries you caused?" I asked as Percy unlocked the door to the house and stepped in, me trailing behind him.

He smirked as he closed the door, swinging the keys across his index finger. "Hm, I'm not sure. At least a thousand-something dollars. How much you betting?"

I shrugged, smiling dryly. "Since you had something, or rather, _everything_ to do with it, I'mma say at least close to two thousand dollars."

Percy frowned, staring at me in a look of mock-hurt. "Wise Girl, I'm not _that_ destructive and murderous."

I cocked and eyebrow, shifting my weight to my hip, to which his eyes of course followed. "Are you sure about that?"

A lazy smile crossed his lips, and he tore his eyes away from my hip to my face. "No, not really."

I laughed and shook my head. I mockingly pressed my index finger to my chin, and tilted my head to the side. "Let's see. You probably gave two people a heart attack. You wrecked at least five cars. You caused at least two lamposts to be dented, and you made at leas three people break some part of their bodies."

Percy snickered, shrugging off his leather jacket. "Is that all? Im pretty sure I did much more than that."

I smiled dryly. "You'll not likely be seeing the rest of your destruction on the news sometime today."

Percy laughed. "One can only hope."

I bit my lip and gently ran my fingers along the petal of a carnation from the bouquet settled on the table. "Now what are you gonna do?"

He sighed, tossing his leather jacket over his shoulder, adjusting his sunglasses settled atop his head. "I'm going to go monitor the cameras for a while, see if something happens." He peered at me. "What are you going to do?"

I pursed my lips, my stomach churning with hunger. "I'm gonna go eat something and then just take a shower and head off to bed."

Percy smiled, coming closer to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, settling his forehead against mine.

"I'll come in later to tuck you in," he whispered, his breath gently fanning my face.

My eyelids fluttered shut, my body filling with warmth. I smiled. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

I entered the kitchen, a smile on my face, but that smile soon faded when I laid eyes on the figure sitting on one of the stools.

"Piper?"

Her kaleidoscope eyes rose to meet mine, their usual sparkle gone. Her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and crying, her face clear with exhaustion and sadness. Dark circles lined her eyes, her cheeks flushed and tear-stained. Her nose was red, lips slightly dry. But even with all of this, she still looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hey." She said. A pang of sadness hit my chest at the tone of her voice. Emotionless. Tired. Blank.

In her hand was a black mug, probably coffee in it since the scent of caffeine hit me when I fully entered the kitchen.

Her eyes flickered back to her coffee, staring at it blankly. Seeing her like this made me want to cry, but I couldn't. It'd just make her feel worse.

I silently grabbed a mug for myself from the cupboard, going over to the coffee machine to serve myself some of the black liquid. I grabbed a spoon and put two spoonfuls of sugar in the mug, mixing it thoroughly before going to the fridge and taking out the French Vanilla milk cream. I mixed it in until the once dark liquid was now a creamy brown.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked Piper gently.

She shrugged, still not lifting her eyes.

I sat down quietly, hugging my cardigan tighter around me. It was cold in the house, in contrast to outside, the heat soft and comfortable.

Piper was wearing a black tank top with black pajama shorts, gray slippers on her feet. I bit the inside of my cheek. Why did she have to wear such sad colors?

I picked my coffee up and took a sip, relishing the warm, liquidy yet thick liquid that burned my throat and tongue as I washed it down.

"Where were you and Percy?"

I choked slightly on the coffee that I had been currently drinking, startled by the sound of Piper's dull voice. I coughed, bringing my elbow up to my mouth.

I shook my head, clearing my throat. "Um, he wanted to go out for a while and agreed I come with him, and he took us on a ride on his motorcycle through the city."

Piper rested her head on her palm, staring sullenly at her coffee. I bit my lip. It was black coffee. Not a trace of any other color.

"He does love riding on that thing," she said in a voice so soft I almost didn't hear her.

"I can tell," I said lightly, a small smile on my face as I stirred my coffee with my spoon, watching the wispy remnants of the white cream swirl around.

Piper was silent for a while, and I thought the conversation was over until I heard a heartbreaking sob fill the coffee scented air. I froze.

"Why did she have to go, Annabeth?" Piper choked, heavy, fat tears falling onto the top of the kitchen island. She finally looked up at me, and I caught my breath.

Her eyes were ringed with tears so thick, I almost couldn't see her irises. But I could, and what I saw in them was enough to make my throat clog up. They were filled with such devestation and mournfullness, so, so sad. I swallowed heavily, trying hard not to let out a cry myself at her brokenhearted expression. Because it reminded me so much of the person I saw everytime I looked into a mirror.

"Why did she have to leave me?" She said quietly, those thick tears falling in heavy drops down her face.

I wordlessly held my arms out, and she leaned right into my embrace, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her, stroking her unbrushed hair that was still so soft.

"Why?" She choked.

I couldn't help it. A tear escaped it's way from the prison of my eyes, being set free down my face.

"That's a question we all ask ourselves, Piper." I said softly, managing to keep my voice even and soft. "It's a question we almost never have an answer to."

Piper's shoulders shook. "I never even got to say goodbye."

I clutched her tighter against me. "I know."

"I never spent enough time with her," she sobbed.

Another tear traced a line down my face. "I know."

"I miss her so much, Annabeth," she choked out. "I never did enough for her."

I gently grabbed her by the shoulders, making her meet my eyes. "Piper, did you ever tell your sister you loved her?" I asked softly.

Tears ran down her face. "I always did," she whispered.

I smiled softly at her, tears streaming down my face freely now, no barrier to stop them.

"Then I guarantee you, that was all that Silena needed in life," I said quietly.

"That was enough."

* * *

I rubbed the cream on my face the way someone might rub dirt off their face. But it wasn't the dirt I was trying to rub away. It was the sadness that was shown all over it.

I sighed, placing the round little tin on the sink. I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to see how people thought this face was so beautiful and confident. But I knew what was different; I wasn't smiling yet.

I did it, stretching my lips across my face, my pearly white teeth peeking out. There she was. The Annabeth Chase the whole world saw.

The one that plastered a smile on her face to hide all her real emotions.

And that was it. As long as you smiled, no one knew how much you were really hurting inside.

Because only happy, confident people wear smiles.

I slipped on some white sandals, heading outside into the hallway in search of Percy. He was probably back from stalki- I mean _monitoring_ people on the cameras, so I figured he might be in his room.

I knocked on his door, three soft taps. "Percy?" I called out.

"In here," his voice replied, slightly muffled.

I turned the knob, entering the room to see Percy coming out of the bathroom, shirtless, ruffling his hair with a white towel. He grinned at me, the simple gesture causing my legs to try to give out on me. "Hey," he said with a nod.

I smiled, closing the door behind me. "Hi."

He walked over to his closet, and my eyes couldn't help but watch his back muscles shift as he ripped a shirt off the hanger. His sharp green eyes ran up and down my body, lingering a little on my bare legs before snapping up to my face. "Showered?"

I sucked my lips in and nodded, feeling slightly disappointed when he slipped his shirt on, covering up all his muscles from my view.

"Are you okay?" Percy questioned suddenly, startling me. "You keep looking at me funny."

I mentally kicked myself. "What? No."

Percy snorted. "Oh, I see." He smiled teasingly, his eyes glinting with amusement and something else. "Can't handle all this sexiness, can you?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, leaning back against the door with my right knee bended forward. "You fucking wish."

His smile grew, turning more into a smirk as he walked closer to me. "How'd you know?"

I felt my heart start to speed up gradually, leaving me breathless. I still couldn't determine if this was in a good way or bad way. Hard to tell with my messed up emotions.

"Lucky guess," I responded, my voice surprisingly even.

He was now so close, his breath fanned the top of my head. Wearing sandals for once, he was suddenly even taller than before.

He smirked. "You seem to have a lot of those."

I noted a slight huskiness in my voice that sent my heart racing. "I'm good at guessing."

He brushed a curl behind my ear, moving his hand to caress my cheek. He smelled of cologne and the sea and deodorant, the scents making me dizzy.

"That's for sure," he breathed.

He brought his mouth down on mine, lips moving fluidly against mine. My heart was pounding hard against my rib cage, and I was finding it hard to breathe. I snaked my arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to mine.

Percy's arms wrapped themselves around my waist, pulling me so close, there wasn't one part of my body not touching his.. He pressed me against the door, startled, I gasped. Percy took this as an advantage to slip his tongue into my mouth. My heart was beating too hard, too fast. It was beginning to hurt.

But I went along with it anyway. This was Percy. Not _him._ Our tongues were suddenly dancing with each other, exploring each other's mouths. My hands tangled up in his hair, pulling softly at his dark locks. Percy's hands slowly ran up and down my body, and my head was suddenly pounding.

After a short while, I felt Percy's lips detach from mine, his mouth moving lower to start kissing along my jawline and neck. My head was swimming. My senses heightened, and I could suddenly feel everything going on around me. Percy's lips sucking on my neck, his hands gripping my waist as he pressed me against the cool door, every inch of his body connected to mine. I could smell the strong cologne on him, along with the scent of his deodorant, and the ever-lasting smell of the sea breeze he always seemed to carry. I could hear my own breathing, ragged as he moved his lips lower to attach onto my collarbone.

I felt a feeling of desire wash over me, along with a strong overwhelming dizziness that followed. This was too much. My head was pounding as the memories from that night came flooding in. Everything Percy was doing to me right now was the same as _he_ did on that night. The only difference was that I wasn't screaming for help as tears and choked sobs escaped my dry lips.

But what I felt right now was close enough.

"Percy," I breathed, my throat contracting.

Percy merely let out a quiet hum, one I could barely hear over the sound of my beating heart. It hurt.

"Percy," I said a bit more louder, swallowing hard as I squeezed my eyelids shut. _Don't let it be like last time._

I pressed my hands to his chest and pushed him back. "Percy, get off." Overwhelming fear rose up my chest, the loud pounds of my heart making it harder for me to react. But the fear was enough to make me move.

"Percy, stop!" These words came out as a sob, and with a forceful push, I shoved him off of me.

Percy's eyes were wide as he stared at me. "Annabeth? What? Did I hurt you? What happened?" He took a step towards me.

I instantly went rigid, and I recoiled from him, the sound of my head and heart pounding making me feel light-headed and terrified.

And helpless. Oh, so helpless.

I shook my head, feeling myself start to shiver. When had it become so cold?

"Percy, I can't," I choked out, my vision getting blurry with tears. It was too much. All too much.

Percy's eyes were pleading. "You can't what, Annabeth? What's wrong? What did I do wrong?" He took another step towards me, and I crashed into the door, wanting to sink right into it and disappear forever.

"Percy, don't. Get away from me. Please. Don't touch me," I was crying now, my voice coming out shaky and breath ragged and choked.

His eyes were dark, similar to how his were that night. We were at the same proximity him and I were that night, before he had crashed his body onto mine.

I let out a sound that sounded like a cry mixed in with a shriek, my body starting to shake violently. "S-stop! No, don't get close to me!" I shook my head wildly. "Stop it!" I wailed.

"Annabeth-" Percy reached a hand out, his eyebrows furrowed with worry and concern swimming in his eyes. His face was troubled, but I couldn't help it. I felt out of control with the fear that overtook me so suddenly. So quickly.

"Percy, no!" I sobbed, hugging my body. "Don't touch me!"

"Annabeth, please." His face was pleading, and he tried to take another step forward when I let out another choked scream.

"Stop it! No!" I choked out, shivering vigorously.

I met his eyes, terrified and begging.

I shook my head and sobbed. "Percy, I can't."

Before he could step forward, I swung open the door behind me, running out of his room and slamming the door after me, trying to get away from the memories. The horrible ones who ruined me. I wanted to run away from them, but that was impossible. They always followed you.

No matter where you tried to hide.

I slammed the door to my room behind me, locking it shut and sinking down to the floor, shivering and sobbing and choking.

But this was useless. No matter what doors I locked, the memories always found a key to let themselves in.

Always.

* * *

 **So...that happened.**

 **Poor Annabeth )):**

 **All right, you know what guys? My updating schedule is all over the place, so I'mma make the official, final dates when I update. They will be either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. So, expect updates on one of those days. Sorry about that guys. But hey! Earlier, sooner updates, right?**

 **And omfg! My legs are FUCKING KILLING ME. My whole body is sore. They make us do a whole lot of shit in gym that leave me feeling like I just got run over by a truck. No lie. It's pissing me off big time. I hate gym. Period.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter, cause it sure got intense. I honestly really loved writing this chapter. I loved it.**

 **Hope you guys have an awesome weekend! Love you guys. Bye x**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	32. Chapter 31

**Hello everyone! So, I'm back with another update! Thank God, right? I'm excited and don't have anything else to say (cuz I'm boring) so let's get onto the next chapter! And woah, already 32 chapters and it feels like I barely started writing this story yesterday. Time sure does fly by :/**

 **You guys are all so sweet! I love you all to death ≤33**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thank you so much, darling! And yes, my poor legs can't handle anything else much longer. I'm so glad my updates make you happy! If you're happy, then I'm happy ≤33**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **You are so incredibly sweet, it's amazing how one person can be that nice and supportive. I really enjoyed writing that motorcycle scene, and I'm glad you liked it too! I tried to make it as fun and adorable as I could, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes, poor Percy. And Annabeth too, for that matter. It made me sad writing that scene. All I wanted to do is make Percy wrap his arms around Annabeth and help her, but I couldn't. Keeping up the suspense, you know? But yeah. And OMFG! Gym makes me want to kms. Like seriously, I hate it. I used to love it, but now it's all just fitness and I'm like, fuck that shit, I'm not doing it. And poor you ): the gym teachers are such idiots I sweet to gods. We're doing football, and I'm tempted to just fling the fucking ball at the gym teacher's head to get some oxygen in there. But anyway, sorry for my little rant. Thank you. Thank you so much for your sweet and kind words. You're always being so nice it's incredible. I love you so much, and thank you {:**

 _ **CaptainPokemon1:**_ **Yes, that just happened. And of course he would! But let just see how this situation unravels itself and what happens (; you might be pleased :D**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Im so glad you thought it was! I tried to make that scene as fun and adorable as possible, and I guessing I succeeded! And ugh. School. That one word pisses me off. Imma pray for you to make things all better for you at school. Cuz gods...it's horrible. But anyway, tysfm! I hope you enjoy this chapter, darling ((:**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Glad you enjoyed it! And yeah, school's been a pain I think for all of us, honestly. And yes..Percy is just so confused and all he wants to do is comfort Annabeth, but she's too terrified to let him. I hope you enjoy this chapter tho!**

 _ **bdaygirl:**_ **Do you and istarr144 know each other? And yeah, Percy's a little confused right now. But things will get better for Percabeth. Don't worry.**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Welcome to the family then! I'm so happy you're reading this story and enjoying it! I always ty my best to respond to each of my reader's reviews, because I love them all and it gives me a chance to meet them! And oh no! How can someone get that lost? XD I'm so happy you like this story, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Thank you! ≤33**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Welp, with Piper, she's not going to fall into depression, but she's also not going to be her bubbly self, you know? If someone you loved dearly died, you wouldn't be all smiles and laughs the next day, right? Piper needs some time to get herself together. She's still really sad. As for Percy x Annabeth having sex...you just wait (; and Leyna needs time, my friend. I'll try to add some moments for them two in this chapter or the next one. Glad you're enjoying this story and thank you! And I'm sorry about Annabeth. It just had to happen ):**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Aw, thank you so much! You're so kind. I just brushed off those comments. They might just be kidding :D but thank you! I hope you like this chapter ≤33**

 _ **iliketurtlesdoi:**_ **Im sorry :0**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Well the waits over! Here's the next chapter! And thank you for understanding x**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **I left you speechless? XD anyway, thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Dimitri Jinx:**_ **Tysm! And I don't really care what the haters say. I expected and wanted you guys to be sad that Beck and Silena died, and I'm getting the exact response I wanted from you guys. But thank you for your kind words. I try my best to please you guys. So thank you ≤3**

 **Note: I started hearing the song _Gangsta_ by Kehlani, and it just reminded me so much if this story cuz well, gangsta, duh. But anyway, if you guys can, listen to the song at any point you guys are reading this story, if you will. But a warning,; it does have some swear words, so yeah. Don't blast it if your parents aren't fond about it or anything XD but yeah! Gangsta by Kehlani. Try to listen to it while reading! X**

 **WARNING: This chapter is rated high T! Just the beginning though. You've been warned (;**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own nada**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I don't know how long I stayed shivering and hugging myself and sobbing on the floor, but it seemed to last for hours.

I couldn't control myself. I was so angry and terrified and felt so utterly pathetic. It wasn't Percy's fault. I'm being stupid and paranoid. Percy isn't _him._ I was willingly letting Percy do those things to me. With _him_ I'd been screaming and crying for help. It wasnt Percy's fault.

It was mine.

But all those actions Percy was doing made those horrible memories come rushing back in like a tsunami into my head, washing away any good thoughts I had. My body had instantly gone back into that mode where I sobbed uncontrollably and started hallucinating about that night.

I feel horrible. Percy's eyes and face had been so strongly concerned and pleading. He had wanted to help me. But I pushed him away.

As I've been doing to everyone.

Percy hadn't come knock on my door yet. Or if he had, I hadn't heard him. Because the only things I could hear in my mind are the sounds of screams and sobs.

I clenched my hands hard, my nails digging into the skin of my palm. I felt a warm, thick liquid run down my hands, and I knew it was blood. I couldn't keep doing this. I had to explain what happened to Percy. He was so confused and devastated, but I hadn'tt let him get an inch close to me.

My throat closed up once more, and I gasped for air. I coughed uncontrollably, my body shaking and blood pooling around the cuts I'd made into my palm. I was such a mess.

So pathetic.

Tears slid down my face and I let out a sob, wrapping my arms around myself and squeezing tight, the way someone might try to squeeze the life out of a person.

Three soft knocks sounded on the door, making me flinch instinctively. I didn't say anything, simply letting out soft whimpers.

"Annabeth?" Percy.

I shut my eyes tightly, shaking my head.

"Annabeth, please. Let me in. Please. Let's talk things out." He sounded so desperate. Pleading. The sound of his voice filled me with enough guilt to make me gasp.

"Annabeth," Percy's voice broke, and I swallowed any more sobs down, squeezing my eyes so tightly together, white spots danced before my eyelids, creating and flashing different patterns and shapes I couldn't make out.

"Annabeth, please." Percy pleaded, his voice soft and comforting. "Let me in."

I coughed, the sound turning into more of a gagging-choking sound that made tears flow out my eyes like water out of a faucet.

"Annabeth," he whispered. I could almost imagine him swallowing as his eyes turned dark. "Please."

I was tempted not to respond. To curl up on the floor and just try, try to fall asleep and forget any of this ever happened. To wake up and find everything back to normal. But nothing was normal now.

It hasn't been for a while.

But I knew it was best to talk things out with him. It was my fault, after all. Percy had done nothing wrong. I was the one who pushed him away. I was the one who started crying uncontrollably and shrieking incoherently. This was all my fault.

I gasped breathily, my breath breaking and causing me to whimper softly. I slowly stood up, my limbs and every part of my body feeling like I had weights tied to them. I tried to calm my beating heart, so loud I could barely hear the sounds of my cries and silent gasps.

I put my blood streaked hand on the doorknob.

Then I turned it. And pulled it open.

My gaze locked with sea green eyes that looked so concerned and desperate. And afraid.

"Annabeth," Percy held out his hand as if to touch my face, but hesitated and brought his fingers back.

"Percy," I sobbed. Just seeing him made those strong emotions of guilt and desperateness overwhelm me.

Percy wordlessly stepped towards me and wrapped his strong arms around me. He didn't hesitate this time. I didn't flinch or scream.

I let him hold me.

I stood there in his arms for who knows how long, crying and gasping and whimpering. Percy stroked my hair and softly shushed me the whole time, his arms never losing their grip on me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, tears tracing wet paths down my face.

"You don't have to apologize. You have no reason to," he replied, his voice equally quiet.

I shook my head, pulling back to look at him. His eyes were dark, face troubled and eyebrows knit together.

"No, Percy." I sniffled. "No. I do have a reason to apologize."

Percy touched my face and shook his head, speaking softly. "No, Annabeth-"

"Percy, I'm sorry. I-I just couldn't control those feelings, as much as I wanted to. I wanted to keep from remembering those memories, but everything reminded me so much about it." My shoulders shook as I cried. "I'm sorry."

Percy stroked my face, his face gentle. "No, Annabeth," he said quietly. "I should be the one apologizing. I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have done those things. I should have asked you if you were comfortable with it. I took things too far."

I fisted my hands in his shirt, my breathing turning choked as I looked him in the eyes, staring straight at those gorgeous sea green orbs. "Percy, you don't get it. I _want_ you. B-but my mind and body is too fucked up to get under control and understand that you're not _him."_ Percy stared at me, his lips parted and eyes dark.

I shook my head, my curls making a golden veil on my face. Tears slid down my face. "Percy, I was comparing you to _him._ That was so, so stupid. But I just can't help it. That night was too horrible, and just about anything makes me remember it and what happened." I released his shirt to bring up my non-bloody hand to touch his cheek. My eyes were blurry with tears. "But you could never be him," I whispered. "You're not a monster."

Percy was quiet for a while, his eyes full of an emotion I couldn't pin down. "What are you saying?" He asked finally, and if I wasn't so close to him, I wouldn't have heard him.

I swallowed back my tears, forcing them to go away. "I'm saying that I _do_ want you, Percy." I said quietly. "And I'm sorry for ever pushing you away."

Percy stared at me, both our gazes locked on each other's. We seemed to stay like that forever, his arms wrapped around my waist, my hand caressing his cheek, and both our eyes locked on each other's, trying to figure out what would happen next.

But I couldn't take it anymore.

I pulled Percy's head down to mine, my lips pressing to his. He hesitated for a little, but the more I kissed him, the more he knew I was being serious. I wanted him. I didn't want to push him away and show any signs of Percy reminding me of that horrible man. Because Percy wasn't him.

Percy was caring and gentle towards me, something that I never thought a gang leader or man would be. But he was. And I was grateful.

My hands were knotted in his soft hair, and I barely even remembered the dried blood on my hand from all the sensations hitting me like a tidal wave.

I felt desire for Percy, something I hadn't felt in long time. I felt alive and content. I felt lust; a feeling I hadn't felt for a man in over three years.

None of those memories came flooding back, not even when I felt Percy's hands travel to the back of my thighs to hoist me up against him. I felt no fear when his lips attached to my neck.

I felt safe.

My legs wrapped securely around his waist, his hands pressed against my back, Percy managed to walk us over to my bed without tripping. He laid me down gently against it, and he freed his lips from my neck, leaving both of us breathless.

He studied me, his eyes dark with desire and that same look I couldn't pin down. He brought his hand up from my leg to stroke my cheek gently, his touch sending shivers down my spine.

"You're so gorgeous, Annabeth," he said quietly. "So intelligent and amazing, and every single word that describes wonderful."

I stared at him, my lips parted and heart pounding. No man had ever called me these words and actually _meant_ it. Men and people all said these things to me, but I knew they never really meant them. But there was a certainty and strong passion in his eyes that made my heart swell up and press hard against my chest, feeling as if it were about to burst out.

Not knowing what to say, I grabbed Percy by the shirt and pulled him down against me, pressing my lips hard on his. Percy responded without hesitation, our lips moving fluidly. There was a heat in this kiss that there hasn't been in any of our past kisses, and the effect of it made a strong warmth churn in my stomach that made me dizzy. But this time, it was a dizziness that made me arch my back to get closer to Percy.

Percy caught my bottom lip between his teeth, emitting a soft whimper from me. I tugged at the hem of Percy's shirt with my free hand, the other one fisted in his hair.

Percy detached himself from me, and instantly I felt cold. It was as if his body was emitting sunlight, warming me down to my toes and making my body feel like it was melting.

In seconds his shirt was discarded on the floor, and once again his body was pressed against mine. I ran my hands along his chest, the hard muscles profound from years of training. Scars lined his body as well, making him seem more dangerous and gorgeous than ever.

Percy's lips were suddenly against my collar bone, and I found my head rolling to the side to give him more access as if by its own accord. Percy's hands were sliding up and down my sides, my shirt bunching up and his fingers trailing along my bare skin, leaving goosebumps and sending shivers through me that made my whole body tremble.

Just his touch was enough to make me whimper, to get him closer, to feel him pressed against me, to hear the low groans and growls he would occasionally let out, the sounds sending a tremor through me that left me feeling powerless.

Percy's hand gently tugged at the hem of my shirt, and I instantly rose a bit, giving him enough room to slip the shirt off, tossing it unceremoniously to the floor. My hands knotting in his hair, I pressed him to me again, his body so cold yet so burning hot against me.

His tongue licked at my pulse, the action causing my breath to hitch audibly and arch my back. The burning sensation in my stomach rose to an aching heat that made me feel dizzy and powerfully overwhelmed.

"Percy," I whimpered, the edge of my voice coming out in a slight moan.

Percy pulled back, his eyes so dark I could hardly see his pupils. "What? Did I hurt you?" He asked, his voice husky and troubled.

I shook my head, that want and desire to feel him against me filling me up all over again. "Percy, I want you." I whispered, my voice equally gravelly.

Percy stared at me, his eyes full of lust and passion. He nodded wordlessly, swallowing so that I could hear it, and see it.

He caught my lips in a kiss once more, his tongue slipping inside my mouth. My hands travelled to his belt buckle, undoing it with trembling hands. I managed to somehow undo the belt buckle, slipping his jeans off in one swift movement.

I felt Percy's hands move down to the waistband of my pajama shorts, and with a slight nod of my head, they were forgotten on the floor.

He suddenly broke the kiss, staring at me with a seriousness that seemed to bring me back to what was happening. What was _going_ to happen.

"Annabeth, are you sure?" He asked, his voice soft.

I nodded, not even having to put a single thought to it. "I've never been more sure in my life," I whispered back, smiling at him.

And as he rolled the condom on and I soon found myself arching into him to meet his thrusts with mine, I knew that I wouldn't be regretting those words.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

 **(If you guys can, please listen to the song "Area" by Magnus the Magnus for this scene to get the full effect (;)**

Jason brought his sword down in a flash of silver, and I instantly brought my metal blades up to deflect the hit. We broke apart, breathing hard.

Sunday afternoon.

Two days after Annabeth and I had sex.

I felt different, in a way. More alive, more connected to Annabeth than I ever had before. Now I felt as if everything mattered. I felt as if I could do anything.

Now I couldn't get her out of my head. Just the sight of her made my stomach churn and a burning heat wash over me. I found my hands getting sweaty at the thought of her. Her gorgeous hair. Her laugh. Her eyes. The way she had said my name that night; it left me all breathless.

"Are you listening to me?"

The snapping edge to Jason's voice edged me out of my thoughts, my vision focusing as they landed on Jason across the training room, a double-bladed sword in each hand.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

Jason rolled his eyes, his electric blue orbs flashing with irritation. "I said that you're acting weird. What's up with you?"

I shook my head, biting back a smile. "Nothing." He narrowed his eyes at me in response, clearly not buying my answer.

I sighed. "Jason, it's nothing. Annabeth and I just had a talk, that's all." I rolled my shoulders, gripping the metal axes in my hands, their intricate and silvery designs casting a slight glow around them. "Now, come on," I smirked. "You got another round in you or are you starting to get tired?"

A smile teased Jason's lips, his blue orbs flashing challengingly as he shook his head. He suddenly leaped at me, bringing his gleaming swords down on me in a flash of silver, but I had already duck under him and was on the other side.

Jason turned to me, huffing as I grinned and spun the axes in my hand, connecting both ends to form a sort of staff.

"So what's this conversation you had doing for you?" Jason asked, staring at me intently with a cocked eyebrow.

I studied the blades of the axes, my eyes following the swirling lines decorating the hilts. "Other than making me feel great about myself, maybe that's all it did do."

"Annabeth is getting the ability to make us all feel better with just her smile, lately," Jason said, his voice low. "So you must be able to do something special."

I smirked. "You mean other than kick your ass?"

Jason rolled his eyes, and in seconds both our blades were connecting, the room filling with the sound of metal against metal. We spun and slashed, already having memorized each other's moves so that we moved in perfect sync.

Jason brought both blades down, and I quickly unconnected the axes, catching the blades of his sword in between mine.

Jason's eyes flashed with mild amusement as I felt a tap at the side of my stomach, and I glanced down to see his other blade free.

I clucked my tongue. I hadn't realized that I had only one of his swords wedged between my axes; now this bastard was getting all cocky.

I slipped the axes out, swinging each of them at his sides, but in a swift movement, he curled his own two swords around each ax blade, interlocking the two blades. We stared at each other, breathing hard.

Jason's eyes flashed challengingly, his lips curling. "Wanna go hand-to-hand?"

I grinned. "Oh, I thought you'd never ask."

We tossed our blades to the side, walking back a couple steps to give each other some room. Our eyes locking for a millisecond, we ran at each other, and right when Jason swung his arm out to either grab me or punch me, I rolled under his open legs. I reached behind me and locked my arms around his legs from where I was laying on the floor, pulling them and sending him crashing to the floor.

I quickly rolled on top of him, straddling his legs. I grabbed his foot and pulled hard, grinning when I heard him gasp. Jason managed to roll himself over, knocking me off of him.

Jason twisted us so he was on top of me, and he grabbed my arm in one hand, the other gripping my wrist. He quickly twisted my hand, causing the bones to audibly shift themselves. I gritted my teeth and let out a grunt.

Jason stared at me with intense blue eyes, breathing hard. "So when were you going to tell me?" He asked, his gaze never wavering.

"Tell you what?" I breathed out.

"That you and Annabeth had sex," he responded, his lips curling in slight amusement.

I clenched my jaw, untangling my legs from his and locking them around his waist, using them to push him off me and roll on top of him. I trapped his arm under mine, twisting the other one and grinning when I heard the bones crack and him let out a groan. "You seem to be the only one who's found out," I said, keeping my gaze on him.

"She's been through so much," I breathed out, clenching his arm in my grasp tighter. "She'd beat the shit out of me if she found out we were being too loud that night." I rolled to the floor, his arm still in my grasp. I twisted it the other way, grinning when I heard the satisfying crack of bones. I looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

Jason grunted, managing to roll himself off the floor and on top of me. I held onto his hand with both of mine fast, locking my ankles around his head as he strained above me.

"You think you're so irresistible," he said through gritted teeth. "Annabeth won't be able to keep from jumping you the moment she sees you anymore."

I laughed, swinging my legs and sending him crashing to the floor once again, emitting a pained grunt from him.

I kept my leg locked on him from my position on the floor, his twisted wrist still in my hand. I looked at him, breathing hard. "I think you should worry a little less about my sex life-" I swung myself onto him, his arm twisting at a painful angle. "-and a little more about your fighting skills."

Jason groaned, gritting his teeth. He tapped his free hand on the floor, coughing. I grinned and released his hand, but made no move to get off of him.

"Fuck you," Jason grunted, grimacing in pain.

I laughed. It was times like this, that made me love hand-to-hand combat so much.

* * *

I ruffled my hair with the towel, wiping off some drops of water from my forehead. I slipped into some black jeans and a dark blue tank top.

Annabeth, Reyna and Thalia had all gone to train downstairs for a while. Bianca was in Piper's room, still trying to comfort her.

Piper still had that blank look on her face, but she was smiling more often now, something that made me sigh in relief.

Jason and Nico were probably in Leo's room, trying to cheer him up as well. Leo looked so lost, and I would occasionally find him staring at nothing with a look of intense sadness swimming in his eyes.

Both of them haven't wanted to do anything. They haven't been coming downstairs to eat, and they had meltdowns out if nowhere. But I couldn't blame them. I'd feel my mood drop whenever I thought of Silent and Beck, the two people that deserved most in this world to be together.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind from those thoughts. New reminders rushed into my mind. Tomorrow was Monday.

The day I'd take Annabeth to see her Mother.

I had mixed feelings about that. I didn't want to take her. It was too dangerous right now. Many things could go wrong, and she might end up getting hurt.

But at the same time, I knew I had to take her. Annabeth needed to see Athena. She needed a person to talk to. She seems so lost without her, and it pains me to see her like this. She had to talk to someone who would level her feelings out. I had to take her.

Sighing, I walked downstairs and headed to the kitchen to grab an app before heading downstairs to watch the girls train.

I swung open the kitchen door, but froze when I saw Leo standing by the kitchen stove, simply staring at it.

He looked up when he heard the door open, and he gave me a sad smile. "Hey, Perce."

"Leo? I thought you were with Nico and Jason in your room," I replied, startled by seeing him in here.

Leo sighed, shrugging half-heartedly. "They went to go watch the girls train."

I walked further into the kitchen. "And you didn't want to go?"

He shook his head, walking humbly toward the stools by the kitchen island and sitting down on one. "I didn't feel like it," he said, his voice sounding dull.

"Why not?" I asked, leaning on the counter.

He shrugged, his dark eyes flickering to the floor.

He stayed quiet for a while, his eyes still locked on the floor. With a pang of sadness and guilt hitting my chest, I turned to grab an apple from the bowl.

"What is going on, Percy?" Leo asked suddenly, startling me so much I almost dropped my apple.

I stared at Leo, not knowing what to say. I had no idea what was going on. Our problems were everywhere, new ones coming in and hitting us like freight train.

I sighed. "I don't know, man. I don't know." I walked over to him and sat down on the stool next to him.

"When did our lives become so fucked up?" He asked quietly, his eyes still settled on the floor.

I clenched the apple in my hand, my fingernails making indentations in it's skin. "They always have been, Leo. But right now, they seem to be more than ever."

Leo ran a hand through his curls, his eyes seeming broken and hurt. I hated seeing him like this. It made a strong sense of guilt wash over me. I was the reason he was hurting.

"Leo, I'm sorry," I said, my head suddenly pounding.

Leo looked up then, his eyebrows furrowing. "For what?"

I lifted my hand and let it slap against my knee, shaking my head. "For making you feel this way. For hurting all of us. It was my fault they died. If I hadn't sent them on that mission," my voice broke, and I clenched my jaw hard.

Leo shook his head, staring at me with intense eyes. There was still some sadness in them, but the emotion seemed different, somehow. It seemed directed towards me.

He set a hand on my shoulder, his gaze never wavering from mine. "No, man." He said gently. "That wasn't your fault. You didn't know. None of us did. We couldn't have done anything to prevent that. Don't beat yourself over it. It wasnt your fault." Leo gave me a weak smile. "Even if we want or don't want something to happen, there is no way for us to prevent it from happening."

 _We don't always get what we want, Percy._

Annabeth's words echoed in my mind. She had said this to me not even a week ago, but it felt like forever since she'd said them.

 _But I know, that I will be here to help you._

"I'm just sorry, Leo." I said again. "I can't go through my life without apologizing, no matter if it was or wasn't my fault."

Leo's eyes gleamed, and he gave me a nod. "Well, apology accepted."

A sort of awkward yet comfortable silence settled upon us, and I bit into my apple, not sure of what else to say. No matter how many times people told me that what happened to Beckendorf and Silena wasn't my fault, a part of me deep down inside knew it was.

It always would stay there.

"So..." Leo started, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. He raised an eyebrow at me. "You and Annabeth had sex now, did you?"

I shook my head, an uncontainable grin settling itself on my face. "Did Jason literally tell everyone?"

Leo chuckled, and I was glad to see his eyes gleaming a bit more than before. "He did, but to be fair, you guys weren't exactly subtle about it either."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up. Don't you fucking dare say that in front of Annabeth. She'll beat the shit out of me and you."

Leo snickered. "All right, all right. I won't. But to be honest with you, I'm kinda surprised."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I am too." I glanced at him. "I was heading over to watch the girls train. Now would you be up for it?"

Leo stared at the floor for a while, his eyebrows furrowed. Finally, he looked up, a genuine and small smile on his lips. "You know what? Sure, why not?"

I grinned. "Then let's go."

* * *

"Shit, Annabeth! That fucking hurt!"

Thalia lay on the floor, glaring at Annabeth, but a prideful and appreciative look was glinting in her eyes.

Annabeth laughed and shrugged, holding out a hand for Thalia to take. She hoisted her up.

"Sorry," she said, grinning. "I couldn't help it."

Thalia muttered some words, but whatever she was going to say was cut off by Reyna's eyes landing on Leo and I entering the training room, more specifically on Leo.

Her face lit up, a graceful smile curling her lips. "There he is."

The boys stopped talking and looked over in our direction, along with Thalia and Annabeth.

"Hey, man," Jason greeted, a smile on his face.

Leo smiled in return, lifting up his hand in a wave.

My eyes swept over the room, landing on Annabeth, who was smiling warmly at me, her eyes gleaming.

I sent her a wink, and then turned to study all of them, the girls sweaty and breathing hard.

"What were you girls doing?" I asked, walking over to the guys and sitting down on the bench with them, Leo joining us as well.

"Annabeth and Thalia were practicing hand-to-hand, while I was giving out pointers to Annabeth," Reyna replied, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

I nodded. "You should practice with the wooden poles. Those are always fun."

Thalia grinned, her eyes flickering to the rack. "I'd forgotten about those. But good idea." She strode over to the rack grabbing two of the long, wooden staffs settled there. She turned back to Annabeth, her eyes glinting with mischief and playfulness. "I think you're gonna like these, Annabeth."

Annabeth reached out and grabbed a pole, studying it. "We'll see."

Thalia handed the other staff to Reyna, who spun it in her hands and smiled fondly at it.

"Reyna's better with these than I am. She's better fighting up close and personal. I do better from long-range," Thalia explained, stepping back and giving the two girls some room.

Annabeth smiled at Reyna. "You better go easy on me, then."

Reyna smirked. "I make no promises."

Reyna made the first move, she thrusted her wooden pole forward, Annabeth instantly bringing her up to block the strike. It went on like that, hit, block, move backwards, hit, block, walk backwards. Everyone was silently watching this go on, their movements swift and quick. Annabeth wavered a bit at times, but she managed to find a way to fix her mistake, driving Reyna back.

They twirled and hit, bringing one end up to block the end the other way hitting them with. Annabeth swung her foot over Reyna's head, who quickly ducked and swung her wooden staff under Annabeth's legs, knocking her down.

Reyna rose with a look of approval. "You need to work on your footwork," she apprehended as Annabeth got to her feet.

Annabeth nodded, readying herself once again. "Noted."

This time, Annabeth struck first, driving Reyna back with no force and with less hesitation. She struck Reyna, stumbling a bit.

Reyna flipped the wooden pole in her hand. "Have you studied the Art of War?"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "Not yet, anyway."

Reyna smiled, her eyes glinting. "You should. It gives great advice." She twirled and pressed her staff against Annabeth's, tilting it side to side as they struck repeatedly.

"Like what?" Annabeth breathed, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead.

Nico snickered next to me. "She shouldn't be asking Reyna that question."

Jason smiled. "Too late."

"Move swift as the wind," Reyna said, twirling the pole in her hand and kicking her foot out. Annabeth quickly sidestepped, striking at Reyna with the staff. "Attack like fire," Reyna moved her pole in quick flashes, the sound of wood against wood echoing through the room.

Annabeth swung her pole out, and Reyna quickly blocked the strike, kneeling. She smiled dryly at Annabeth, her dark eyes flashing. "But my favorite,"

"Uh oh," Leo whispered, a smile tugging at his lips.

Reyna moved the pole in lightning speed, then quickly stuck it between Annabeth's ankles and knocked her off her feet.

"Poor Annabeth," Nico said, a smile of amusement on his lips. I shook my head and chuckled, watching as Reyna stood up leisurely, never taking her obsidian eyes off Annabeth.

She stuck the tip of her staff right under Annabeth's chin, smiling. "To know your enemy, you must be your enemy."

Annabeth, breathing hard, studied Reyna carefully. She surprised us all by quickly grabbing her wooden pole and sticking it between Reyna's ankles and swiping outwards; the same as Reyna had done to her.

Reyna crashed to the floor, a bewildered look on her face. Annabeth stood up, pointing her staff at Reyna's chest.

"Lucky for you," she said, smiling. "I'm a quick learner."

Reyna's eyes glinted with something of admiration, and a wry smile danced on her lips as she took Annabeth's outstretched hand and stood up.

Thalia whistled, nodding at Annabeth. "Damn, girlie. You've got some moves."

Annabeth laughed. "Thanks."

Just then, a phone rang throughout the room, and Annabeth, frowning in confusion, picked up her ringing phone.

How I wished she hadn't.

Annabeth's eyes flashed with a look of slight worry. She looked up to her phone and at me, her expression perplexed and troubled.

"It's my Mother."

* * *

 **You guys, I low-key (I hate that word) loved those two training scenes. Like, I had so much fun writing them. Percy x Jason training made me die from how sexy the two were being. Like just imagine the two wrestling like that. It would be the hottest thing ever. And Reyna x Annabeth training had me dead too. It's just- I loved them.**

 **Also, I based the training scenes off of two episodes in Shadowhunters, and also some of the lines they said, so don't mind me. I don't wanna get sued for words that ain't mine. So yeah. Some of the words belong to Shadowhunters.**

 **And Oh. My. Gods. Annabeth and Percy had sex. Thoughts?**

 **Anyway, Ilygsfm! You make me so happy and encourage me to keep going. School is shit as always, and already there have been three fights this month cause girls are on their periods and guys just wanna be dicks. So...yeah!**

 **Have a great weekend and Friday, guys ≤33**

 **~Kat x**


	33. Chapter 32

**Hello my loves (: so, I'm getting hit with so many feelings of happiness because GUYS! MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS?! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! I LOVE YOU ALL SO FUCKING MUCH!**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **So glad you thought it was adorable! I was smiling while writing the whole thing. So fucking cute. And I get to warm inside because you say that you turn to this story to little your spirits ((: reading always helps me. And om- don't even get me started on those training scenes. Just picturing them in my head made me start squealing and smiling and ohmyfuckinggods it's be SO HOT! But anyway, before I get carried away, the Leo x Percy thing, we needed one. To see how Leo was coping with the whole thing. I'll admit, it made me sad just writing about Leo being sad. But they managed to cheer each other up (: And ugghghg fuck school, man. I hate it. I literally find everyone so annoying and are such assholes. I absolutely hate gym most of all, and also this class called Design & Modeling, which is _not_ as fun as it sounds :/ And oh gods, really? I'd go up to one of the cars and make a dent in the hood and scream the shit outta the drivers to pay fucking attention and get their heads outta their asses. Lmao, anyway, I love you so much, my dear friend. Your reviews always make me get so emotional ≤33 I hope school gets better for you (:**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Yes you are XD and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I had been dying to write that scene, and now that I did, I keep going back to read it XD Thank you so much, you don't know how much I appreciate your kind words ≤33**

 _ **CaptainPokemon1:**_ **Well, since this is a mortal AU story, then no, Percy can't be healed by water. Sorry if that affected your character though. Percy heals like a regular mortal. And no, that's not creepy at all (:**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **It is, isnt it?**

 _ **Istar144:**_ **Im glad you're loving it! And oh wow. People can be so retarded, it's funny. And as for Leyna, I'll try my best to include some more moments with them. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **bdaygirl:**_ **Ohh ok. And wow, that's awesome. I haven't read that series, but I'll look into it ((: and yikes, bad score on a math test? I don't know what to tell you. Just give the news to your parents when they're in a really happy mood? That way they won't be so so mad.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you so much! I will definitely not let anyone get to me, because I love this story and you guys! I could never give it up no matter what anyone says. I hope you enjoy this chapter x**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Oh, don't be jealous! I'm sure you are a fantastic writer ((: but thank you so much x**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im glad it made you smile! It made me too. And wtf? You're so lucky. I barely started school and I already want to leave. And I mean, you do use a lot of exclamation marks, but that's ok ≤33**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Thank you! And I mean, it was bound to happen, wasn't it? I hope you enjoy this chapter ≤33**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Thank you! Leyna=patience. And no, I can't write more graphic sex with Percy and Annabeth. This story is rated T, not M. Besides, I'm not ready for that. That's as graphic as I'll get. And I can't upload that many times in one week because I'm not some superhuman with crazy fast writing skills, I ten to get busy, and what would be the point of it? I'd finish writing the story this month if I uploaded that much. It's got to take time ((:**

 ** _sapphirelg:_ Oh my gods, that is so true. I've never really thought of that, but now I know for next time to write the characters getting some other fruit XD and thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Percabeth. I tried my best. Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **Queen Carrot:**_ **I do! I'm currently reading The Mortal Instruments, and I'm just finishing up The City of Glass. And omfg, I love it. It's so amazing. And what do you mean by Annabeth's training and making her past darker? Cause if you ask me, I think it's dark enough XD and your wait is over! Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy it x**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for checking out the song, happy to hear that it went along well with it. And I tried to make Leo and Percy's conversation as heartfelt as I could. Thank you so much ≤3**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Yep, everyone knows now. Let's see how that goes for them. An ily too! Hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

Annabeth looked down at the phone with an expression of worry and confusion. "I'm putting her on speaker," she announced, pressing something on her phone.

I was about to tell Annabeth to not answer it when a clear, familiar sound rang out the phone.

The sound of a gunshot.

Annabeth instantly blanched, and I felt my blood run cold.

"Mother?" Annabeth said, her voice wavering.

" _Annabeth,"_ Athena's voice sounded distressed, even scared. Something was definitely wrong.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Annabeth asked, clenching the phone tightly in her hand.

More gunshots rang through the phone. Annabeth's hand was trembling and her mouth was set in a tight line, her eyes locked on the phone.

"Annabeth, I want you to stay where you are. Don't come to the office. Stay there at HQ with Percy and the others." Athena's voice was sharp, a slight tremor to it that sent my nerves on edge.

" _Why?_ Mother, what's going on?"

"Annabeth, just stay there. Don't you dare come to the office. Everything's fine. Just stay at HQ," Athena said, her voice rising.

"No it's not!" Annabeth cried, gripping the phone so hard, her knuckles turned white. "Mother, _who's there? What's going on?"_

The sound of one last gunshot sounded through the phone, and Athena was quiet for a while. For a terrible moment, I was sure all of us thought she was dead.

"I love you, Annabeth," were the only words that came out of Athena's mouth, before the line went dead.

We were all silent for about a minute, not saying anything. We were gaping at the phone, not knowing what to say.

Annabeth broke the silence.

She looked directly at me, her gray eyes shining and her jaw set.

"Take me."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

My throat felt dry as Percy drove and manuevered us through the streets of Manhattan. I was clenching my hands tightly in my lap, my fingernails digging into my skin.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. The only thing I could do was feel terrified.

Leo and Piper, who we had managed to convince to come with us, were in the backseat, not saying anything. Percy's jaw was set as he drove, his dark eyes expressionless.

I wanted to tell him to drive faster, to push cars out of the way if he had too. I felt as if everyone was getting in our way on purpose, trying to prevent me to see my Mother.

Alive or dead.

The first sound of gunshots that had rang through the phone had instantly sent me on edge, and I found my throat constricting so much, I felt as if I couldn't breathe.

It seemed like hours until we reached my Mother's company building. It seemed to look fine from the outside. Nothing out of the ordinary. But once we stepped inside, my blood ran cold.

It was deserted.

Phoebe wasn't at the desk. No people in business suits were milling around with a cup of coffee in their hand. No one was anywhere to be seen.

I shot out to the elevator, stepping inside and pressing the button to my Mother's office floor nonstop. I gritted my teeth in irritation. The fucking doors wouldn't budge.

I distantly heard Percy calling my name from behind me, the rapid sound of footsteps approaching me. But I didn't look up. I kept pressing the button.

Finally, the doors starting to ease their way closed.

" _Annabeth!"_ I heard Percy shout, starting to sprint towards the closing elevator doors. I was worried he might get there in time to stop them and pry them open with his bare hands, because I knew he could if he wanted to, but he didn't.

The last thing I saw before they shut was Percy, his hand outstretched and sea green eyes flashing with irritation and worry.

 _I'll see you up there, Percy._

* * *

Im not exactly sure what I was hoping for.

I was hoping to see my Mother at her desk, looking over some building designs or sketching some of her own. I was hoping to see her jerking her arm back with a knife in it, a man instantly falling dead at her feet. I was hoping to see her talking with some business partner on the phone, making plans about their next project.

I wasn't hoping to see blood splattered all over her office.

I stopped dead, my legs seeming to have lost their power to move. My throat felt painfully dry, and my heart was thumping loudly against my rib cage. I swallowed down a cry.

The office looked as if a tornado had run through it.

Papers were thrown everywhere. My Mother's desk was splayed upside down, the contents that were once on it thrown everywhere. My Mother's computer was on the floor, the screen of it severely punctured by a bullet. Her chair and sofas were ripped and had bullet holes in them. It was a mess.

What made me cry out was the trail of blood leading from the door to my Mother's overturned desk.

I followed the trail with heavy steps, my body feeling as if various anchors were thing me down to the floor. I reached the desk, a sudden wave of nausea and vertigo washing over me.

I caught my breath.

The person bleeding wasn't my Mother. It was a man. A trickle of blood was running down the side of the man's temple. A pool of blood had coated the front of his navy blue shirt. He looked about thirty-five. I was thankful I didn't recognize him.

I almost breathed out in relief that this wasn't my Mother lying dead on the floor. But that relief disappeared. _Where was my Mother?_

"Oh my God."

I turned to see Percy, Piper and Leo at the doorway, their faces white. Percy's gaze instantly settled on me, his eyes narrowing.

"Annabeth, you shouldn't have left us behind like that. What if someone dangerous was in here? He or she could've killed you," he said, his eyes troubled yet irritated.

I shook my head, my breath coming out in wisps. "My Mother's not here," I said, that sadly familiar feeling of a sob rising up my chest.

Piper surveyed the scene before her with a sad expression. "I'm sure she's fine, Annabeth. This is Athena we're talking about. If anyone could find her way out of something, she could."

Leo nodded, his face full of disbelief and melancholy. "Piper's right. Athena's probably already bashing whoever grabbed her's head in."

I shook my head once again, tears already pooling in my eyes. "You don't understand," I choked. "She was obviously kidnapped. My Mother-" I broke off and squeezed my eyes, licking my lips. "My Mother had even said she was being watched. And now-now they made their move and kidnapped her." I cleaned my hands into tight fists. "It was just a matter of time," I whispered.

I opened my eyes once again, tears escaping my eyes and dripping down my face heavily. Leo and Piper's faces were white, their expressions shocked and full of despair. Percy's jaw was set, his eyes hard as they surveyed the room.

"It was those bastards," he growled. "The same ones who attacked and have been watching us." His eyes settled on me, an angry fire in them. "The same ones who have been trying to kill you."

I felt my legs give out beneath me, and I sunk to the floor, my mouth and lips feeling achingly dry. Tears ran down my face. "But why?" I whispered. I raised my eyes to meet their faces. "Why her? My Mother doesn't even have anything to do with this. This shouldn't have happened."

I suddenly felt strong arms wrap around me, but at the same time, the gesture felt distant. I felt as if I weren't even in my own body. I felt numb. I couldn't hear or feel anything. And now the only thought that filled my head was that I would probably never see my Mother again.

"We'll find her," Percy was saying, a firmness and anger to his voice that brought me back. "When we find those motherfuckers, I will tear them apart." He pressed a kiss to my head. "They'll never mess with us again."

 _Are you really sure about that, Percy?_ I wanted to ask. But I kept quiet, staring blankly at the floor. The sudden thought and realization of my whole family being dead hit me like a cold breeze, threatening to knock me off my feet.

And it succeeded.

* * *

The ride home was silent, as it had been when we were getting to the office. We hadn't bothered trying to clean the mess up. As for the man, Percy hadn't recognized him either, and had just decided it was better to leave him there. Swimming in a pool of his own blood.

Percy's hands were clenched over the wheel tightly, his bones jutting out through his skin. His eyes still had that angry glint to them. I shivered. If Percy said he would tear those people apart, I knew he would.

"I'll call my Dad and tell him what happened. Maybe he knows where they took Athena," Percy said, his voice deathly calm.

I simply nodded quietly in response, feeling numb from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.

"Hey," I felt Percy's thumb and index finger grip my chin gently, turning my head to meet his eyes. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

All I could do was stare into those gorgeous eyes his, so full of reassurance, some part of me believed we would get my Mother back. But there was still such a strong urge of doubt in me, it made my chest feel heavy.

I blinked back tears. "What if we can't, Percy?" I whispered. "What if they've already killed her? What if we never find out where they're keeping her?"

Percy shook his head, his eyes darting from the road and back to me. "Don't say that, Annabeth. Trust me when I say this, and it's hard to say the words, but your Mother is one of the strongest women I've ever met. And so are you." He smiled softly at me, just a quirk of his lips that made my heart skip a beat. "If anyone will find her, you will."

"Hell yeah she will," Leo sang from the back. There was a distant smack and the sound of Leo groaning in pain, making a small smile dance on my lips.

Leo seemed to be getting some of his spunk back, and Piper was smiling a bit more, and I decided, that if I can't be happy, then at least give that happiness that I'm missing to them. After all, what could happiness bring me at this point?

* * *

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," was what Thalia said when we told her about Athena. Her tone was calm enough, but there was an undertone to it that was pure anger.

I sat, silent on the sofa, staring blankly at the floor. I hadn't said a word when we arrived. I didn't want to. I didn't feel like it. What could I say? What was someone supposed to feel when their Mother was kidnapped? The one person they were depending on the most.

I now knew that the universe hated me.

Jason had his arms crossed over his chest, his face tight. "What I don't get is why Athena? She had nothing to do with any of us. We haven't even spoken to her in two months, for God's sake. In fact, _what do any of us have to do with this?"_

Nico smiled, his smile full of concealed anger and dryness. "We're in a gang, Jason," he said, his voice slightly bitter. "What more do you want?"

"But _why now?"_ Piper cried, her eyes shining with sudden tears that startled me. "Why has everything been so fucking messed up these three months? It-it wasn't this bad ever before."

Jason stared at her in concern, reaching out and pulling her into him. He stroked her hair quietly, murmuring words to her I couldn't make out. The sight of them made my chest ache with a feeling I couldn't pin down.

Reyna was muttering words in Spanish I didn't understand as well, and Leo would occasionally mutter some words back to her in the same language.

Bianca was quiet as she sat next to me, staring at the floor with a blankness that described just how I was feeling. Nothing.

Percy walked into the living room, his jaw and fists clenched. The chain of the side of his jeans jingled with every step he took, his sea green eyes dark with anger.

"I talked to Poseidon," he said tightly, leaning against the wall of the living room.

Thalia smiled with no kindness. "And what did your favorite person in the world say?"

Percy smirked, a bitter tilt of his lips that sent a shiver through me. "He said that tomorrow morning he'll get Zues and the others to discuss the matter with Athena. The meeting will be in Poseidon, Zues and Hades' meeting room in Olympus Enterprise's main building. He said six of us could go." His eyes swept through all of us, flashing. He smiled dryly. "Who wants to go to that happy event?"

Bianca spoke up. "Annabeth should obviously go. She deserves to be there. I'll go too."

I raised my head to look at her. She smiled warmly at me, the action causing a ghost of a smile to hover over my lips.

"All right," Percy said. "Jason and Thalia, you're coming as well-" this caused Thalia to whine a protest "-and that leaves one more spot open."

Nico shrugged. "I'll go."

Percy nodded, his eyes resting on Piper, Leo and Reyna. "You three. Don't leave the house tomorrow, you hear me? Do whatever you want, just don't leave the house."

Reyna nodded. "Got it."

Percy turned back to us, and I was suddenly struck by how tired he looked. There were dark circles under his eyes that didn't seem noticable at first, but the more you looked at him, the more you noticed them. His eyes were slightly droopy, a small red tint to them. His shoulders were tensed with that constant anger he carried, and I suddenly wondered if he ever got any sleep at all.

"Well, it's late. We should all go to sleep now." He gave us a wry and bitter smile. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

I couldn't sleep.

I kept tossing and turning in the bed, yanking the covers off when it got too hot and pulling them back on when it got too cold.

I got that feeling when the inside of your body is warm, but on the outside you're getting goosebumps all over. My stomach was churning, and I felt the urge to throw up. I pushed that impulse away, sitting up in the bed.

I stared out into the darkness of the room, taking deep breaths in and deep breaths out. I felt the need to cry; I couldn't help it. All the things that have been happening suddenly came rushing back to me, as if for the first time. I let out a sob, wrapping my arms around myself.

I cried for my Mother, the person I'd been depending on most right now. For Melissa, who I haven't called in over two weeks and has always stuck by my side. I cried for Bobby and Matthew, the little brothers I'd been hoping to watch grow up and become successful young men. I cried for my Father, the only father I'd ever had and who I had loved with all my heart, even when I knew he never loved me back.

I cried for Silena and Beckendorf, the two people that had died before they ever had the chance to show each other really how much they loved one another. I cried for Leo and Piper, the two who never got the chance to show their cousin and sister how much they appreciated them in their lives.

I cried for Bianca, who all she wanted to do in life was make those she loved proud of her, who just wanted her brother to be happy.

I cried for Percy, the man that had shown me what it was like to actually be happy with someone again. To feel that edge of closeness and admiration. The man that made me feel like I was actually stronger than I gave myself credit for. The man that had been there for me the most these pass few months and threatened to kill anyone who dared hurt me.

I cried for all these people, pouring my heart out into sobs so loud and strong, they sounded heartbroken to my own ears.

My shoulders trembled with every cry, a mix of a shriek and sob escaping my lips. I couldn't stop. The thoughts of these people sent me jumping off a cliff I couldn't seem to reach the bottom of; keeping me falling, falling, falling until I couldn't breathe anymore.

An overwhelming feeling of vertigo hit me, blurring my vision and thoughts. My head was pounding, my chest aching with a sudden pain that made my whole body hurt. My insides felt as if they were on fire, and I shivered and hugged myself hard, my fingernails digging into my arms.

I cried and cried, choked sobs racking my body and making my throat burn. I coughed, hard enough to gag, and I felt that feeling of when your food is slowly rising up your throat.

I swallowed hard, pushing that feeling down. The covers were soaked with tears, leaving a dark blotch and a slowly forming puddle of it on the white sheet.

When I let out another terrible sob, my door suddenly flew open. Percy stood there at the door, shirtless with black sweatpants on, his eyes wild and alert. His intense green eyes settled on me, a crying, choking mess on my bed. His eyes flashed with a sudden anger that surprised me, but I somehow knew that that feeling wasn't directed towards me.

"Percy," I gasped, crying even harder than before.

Percy said nothing, slamming the door behind him and rushing over to the bed. He sunk down on it, kneeling next to me. His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me flush against his bare chest.

He rocked my back and forth gently, shushing me softly and planting kisses on the tears that blotted my face. I continued sobbing, my throat and chest feeling as if they had been sliced open.

"It hurts," I whispered. "Percy, it hurts." My voice rose, and again, I coughed, my body racking with every motion.

Percy planted a kiss to the side of my neck, his arms tightening around me. "I know, Annabeth. I know it hurts."

"Why does it hurt?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Percy remained silent, simply running his hand lightly over the skin of my arms. "Because you're being you, Annabeth," Percy said softly at last. And that was all he said.

"Why-why did you come?" I whispered, my breath coming out in shaky bits.

"Because I felt that you were hurting," Percy said back, brushing my hair away from my tear-stained face. "I knew you were in pain. I heard you crying. You sounded so heartbroken, Annabeth. So I came. To be here with you."

I gasped shakily, trying to get some oxygen into my system. "I can't sleep," I said quietly.

Percy smiled gently at me. "Then I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep, no matter how long that takes."

My heart thumped loudly against my chest at his words, and I suddenly found myself not being able to breathe. But it was different this time. It didn't hurt that I couldn't breathe. In fact, it made me feel like I was being filled with a warm breeze.

I pressed my lips against Percy's, trying to tell him how much I appreciated him through that one kiss. He stroked my hair softly, his body releasing that ocean scent that always managed to make me dizzy.

I pulled back, my breathing hitched and trembling. "Thank you."

Percy nodded, his forehead touching mine. "Anything for you, darling."

Pressing my lips against his in a chaste kiss, I laid back down in the startlingly cold bed. Percy reached over and pulled the covers over me, covering me just up to my shoulders.

I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep. I felt Percy's calloused yet smooth hand rub my arm and the side of my torso comfortingly, his hand filling my body with warmth.

"Percy," I said softly.

He hummed in response.

"Can you sleep with me?"

Percy was quiet for a little, and I suddenly felt the bed shift, and soon enough he was crawling under the covers. I felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me flush against his hard chest. I could feel his heartbeat through my back, thumping rhythmically at a steady pace. I felt his breath fan my neck, the cool air causing me to shiver. He planted a kiss on my collarbone and laid his head close to mine, his soft hair tickling my cheek.

"Goodnight, Annabeth," I heard him say softly.

I felt my eyes getting heavy, my body slowly welcoming in the feeling of tiredness. "Goodnight, Percy."

And I soon fell asleep.

* * *

 _Annabeth sat in the living room with Bobby and Matthew, playing with addition flash cards with them. She held up a white card with a big blue numbers. 3±4. Bobby and Matthew frowned in concentration, until finally, Matthew brightened._

 _"Seven!" He shouted, a hopeful glint in his eyes that made Annabeth smile. She nodded, setting the card down._

 _"You're right, Matt," she said, shuffling the cards back in. Bobby pouted._

 _"I never get one right," he said, his lips tugged into a frown. Annabeth laughed, something she hadn't done in a while._

 _"It's okay, Bobby. I'm sure you'll get one soon," she said, smiling reassuringly at her younger brother. Bobby grinned._

 _This was what they were doing to spend their time, to ignore the yells coming from the room across the hall. Annabeth tried to block out the shouts, focusing on spending her time with her little brothers. She wanted to distract them from all the screams, to make them be as happy as they could be. But how could that be when her parents were fighting yet again?_

 _"I'm going to the bathroom," she announced carefully, handing the cards over to Bobby. "You two play for a while. I'll be right back."_

 _Matthew and Bobby nodded, already absorbed in another round of flash cards. She smiled at them, feeling a sharp pang of sadness inside of her. All she wanted for them was to have a normal childhood, one free from despair and arguments._

 _She creeped down the hall, trying to be as quiet as possible. She reached the slightly ajar door, peeking one sharp gray eye through the hole._

 _"Fredrick, you're not being fair!" She heard her Mother shout, her voice clipped and angry. "I just want the best for Annabeth. Can't you understand that?"_

 _"No, Athena, I don't," she heard her Father growl. "How can you want the best for her when she's already the oldest? Annabeth can manage on her own when the time comes. Bobby and Matthew can't. I want to be there to help our sons."_

 _"You mean,_ your _sons," Athena cried out. "I love Bobby and Matthew, but Annabeth should be the one to pass this company down to. She will bring bigger success to this family than either you or I could ever do. Why can't you see that?"_

 _Annabeth heard her Father start to say something, but Athena cut him off, a seething and desperate tone to her voice._

 _"You've never loved Annabeth, Fredrick," she heard Athena say. Annabeth caught her breath. "Ever since I announced that the company would be passed down to her and her only, you couldn't stand to see her face. Annabeth loves you. She just wants to make her father proud. But you're too heartless to see that."_

 _Annabeth caught the waver in her Mother's voice, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness in her chest. Her Mother had said it. Her Father has never loved her. But what broke her heart even more was that he never protested against the claim._

 _"You think I don't know that you just want the company for yourself?" Athena continued, her voice still edged with bitterness and anger. "You don't care about the twins. If I passed down the company to them,_ you _would b the one taking over. You would shove them aside like yesterday's mail and force the company to go the way_ you _want it. This isn't about Bobby and Matthew, this is all about_ you."

 _Annabeth suddenly heard it. The sound of a hand cracking against a face. She winced, feeling her chest start to become heavy._

 _"Enough!" Her Father shouted, his voice angrier than she'd ever heard it. "Stop saying lies, Athena! You don't know anything. And don't you fucking dare talk to me about love, because you don't even know how it feels to have love for your children." She heard footsteps rapidly approaching the door. Annabeth felt her heart stop._

 _She heard more yells and shouts coming from the two, but Annabeth drowned out their voices, racing back to the living room and sitting down to play cards with Bobby and Matthew again. She tried to calm her heartbeat, forcing the words she'd just head out of her head._

 _It wasn't until ten minutes later that she heard the smashing of a case._

 _She instantly went cold._

 _Her Father and Mother came walking back quickly from the room. Athena's face was tear-stained, her brown hair in a messy ponytail. Her cheek was red; the mark of a hand planted on it._

 _Annabeth's Father snatched up the keys from the counter, his wild eyes settling in the twins._

 _Bobby and Matthew froze, their faces paling._

 _"Fredrick, no. Don't do this. Stay here. We need to talk things ou-"_

 _Fredrick ignored her protests, smiling abnormally calmly at Bobby and Matthew. "Come on boys. Let's go."_

 _"Fredrick, stop! Leave the twins here, please," Athena was pleasing, her once sharp eyes broken with tears._

 _"Bobby, Matthew, let's go," Fredrick said, ushering them up from the floor._

 _The twins said nothing, oblivious to it all. Annabeth was questioning the situation. Where was her Father taking Bobby and Matthew? Why did her Mother seem so distressed? Had they made up?_

 _Seconds later, the twins and Fredrick were out the door, walking down the sidewalk. Athena sank into the sofa and started crying, her sobs like a stab to Annabeth's chest._

 _The thirteen year old raced out the door, catching up to her Father, who had just shut the car door, Bobby and Matthew staring at her with paled faces through the window_ _._

 _"Daddy," she said, staring questioningly at her Father. "Where are you going? Can I go?"_

 _Fredrick stared at her with cold eyes, and suddenly, a small smile was gracing his lips, the small curve of his lips sending a chill down Annabeth's spine._

 _"I'm taking the twins for a walk." He explained, that smile still on his lips. "How about instead of you coming along, you make us some sandwiches for when we come back?"_

 _Annabeth frowned slightly, her stomach starting to churn uncomfortably. She pushed the feeling aside and finally nodded, smiling slightly at her Father. "Okay."_

 _Fredrick smiled at her, that same bitter twitch of his lips that made Annabeth's heart rate increase. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the head; something he hadn't done in a long time._

 _And then he got in the car, and drove off._

 _They never came back to eat the sandwiches._

I gasped, my eyes flying open.

Percy instantly sat up, his eyes alert as they locked on me. His green orbs were a brighter shade, the almost lime green piercing as they studied my face with concern.

"Annabeth," he said with a frown, his voice husky from sleep. He brought his fingers up to touch my face, and I suddenly felt something wet against my skin. "Why are you crying? Are you okay?"

I swallowed thickly, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. I sat up slowly, shaking my head. "I'm fine. It was just a dream."

His fingers lightly stroked my face. "Are you sure?"

I forced a smile and nodded. "I'm sure."

Percy's eyes studied me, the irises slowly returning to their sea green color. He leaned forward and gave me a kiss, his lips soft and smooth against mine.

He pulled back, resting his forehead against mine. "If you say so."

That huskiness in his voice sent an irresistible shiver through me, and I bit my tongue. _Damn you, Percy Jackson._

A smirk suddenly slipped into Percy's lips. He brought his face closer to my ear, his lips lightly brushing it.

"Am I too much for you, Annabeth?" He whispered, his hot breath on my neck making my body fill up with a warm heat.

She pushed him away, frowning. "Now you're getting too cocky."

He laughed, the sound making me smile.

"What time is it?" I asked, running a hand through my tangled hair.

Percy glanced at the clock resting on the nightstand on his side. "It's nine twenty-six." He glanced at me. "We better start getting ready. The meeting over there is at eleven-thirty, and the drive is about an hour and a half long."

I sighed, pushing the covers off of me and relishing the cool air that hit me once I did. Percy's eyes flickered down to my lips. Without any warning, he leaned in, capturing my lips with his.

We were suddenly enveloped in a passionate kiss, and I found myself slowly sinking down into the bed once more, Percy's body propped above mine. My hands rested on his hard shoulders, running up and down his muscular arms lightly. Percy began kissing along my jaw line, and as I soon was absorbed into the feeling of it, I found myself forgetting all about that awful memory.

Percy's mouth suddenly moved up to my cheek, and I felt something hot and wet draw a long line on my skin. I gasped, shoving Percy off of me.

"You dick!" I shrieked, my hand wiping off the wet trail of the lick he had given me. Percy laughed hysterically, and I grabbed my pillow and flung it at him. The bastard didn't even flinch.

"Ugh, get out!" I hissed, throwing another pillow at him. Still laughing, he got off of the bed, walking towards the door with his chuckles filling the air.

He shut the door just in time to let another pillow smack against the wooden frame.

* * *

Half an hour later, I was dressed in a white playsuit and white strap on heels, a simple gray headband holding back my waterfall of curls.

I went downstairs, stopping by the kitchen to get a granola bar. I then headed towards the entrance of the house, where the others were patiently waiting.

"There you are!" Bianca grinned, her dark eyes glimmering. "Ready?"

I nodded, smiling. Bianca was wearing some simple jeans, a navy blue blouse and black strap-on sandals. The dark colors suited her, contrasting well against her dark hair and pale skin.

Percy smiled amusedly at me, his sea green eyes filled with mirth. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying not to bring my middle finger up to call him number one.

"So, now that we're all here, we can go now," Percy said, throwing his leather jacket on. He opened the door, heading out merrily.

Jason raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "What happened between you two?"

I bit my lip, staring at Percy's leather-clad back as he sauntered over to the garage.

"The bastard licked my face," I replied, rolling my eyes.

Jason laughed. "That explains it."

I bit back a smile, pushing him forward. "Yeah, yeah. Just move, Sparky."

Jason froze, whipping around to stare at me with a bewildered look. "Who-what?"

I smirked, choking down my laughter. "Piper told me."

* * *

"What the hell, man?" Thalia groaned, stepping out of the car and stretching her back. "That felt like _way_ more than an hour and a half."

Nico smirked at her. "You just can't handle anything, Pinecone Face."

Thalia shot him a look. "Fuck off." She turned and face the structure, the building huge and sparkling. She made a face. "Don't tell me that Hoe-Hera is gonna be there."

Percy smirked, slipping his arm around my waist. "Then I won't tell you that she is going to be there."

Thalia's eyes flashed. "Oh, fuck no. I'm not going in there."

Bianca nudged her. "Oh, come _on,_ Thals. You haven't seen her in forever. Maybe she's changed."

Thalia snorted. "Changed my ass. That bitch hates me. And to be fair, the feelings mutual."

"Fine then," Jason said, smiling dryly at his sister. "We'll all give you permission to smack her across that pretty face of hers, as long as you go in."

Thalia grinned, winking. "Deal."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Great, let's go," he said in a monotone voice.

The others followed, Percy and I trailing behind.

"It's not gonna be so bad, is it?" I asked, staring after them.

Percy snorted. "All the old Olympians in one room? Bad? Of course not."

I rolled my eyes, "you're not very reassuring, you know."

Percy chuckled in response, leaning down to give me a kiss.

I stopped him, putting my hand in front of his face. I gave him a stern look. "You better not lick my face."

Percy laughed, giving me a chaste kiss on the lips. He pulled back, his face closer to mine.

"I wouldn't dare."

* * *

 **So, shit went down with Athena. Hades' knows where she is. I enjoyed this chapter, it was emotional, that's for sure.** **That part with Annabeth crying really hit me, for some reason. Once I started writing that scene, I couldn't stop. I loved that part, even though it was really sad.**

 **Oh, and do you guys want the dream parts to be in first person, or third? Just to those who think it's confusing. Idk. Just tell me.**

 **My sister's birthday is this weekend! She's turning 7. Though, you guys probably dont even care. No one cares about that little shitbag.**

 **Anyway! I hope you guys all have a FANTASTIC rest of your week, because mine has been sucking ass.**

 **I love you all, so so so much.**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	34. Chapter 33

**Hey friends! How is everyone doing so far? I'm doing fine, I guess. I also changed up the summary a bit to make it more suspenseful, you know? How is it? But anyway, thank you guys so so much for all your wonderful and amazing comments. You make me all feel so happy and appreciated. Thank you. So, I'm thanking you guys by uploading this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it x**

 _ **The Great Bobini:**_ **Thank you! I'm glad you think that. Hope you like this chapter ((:**

 _ **Stargazer:**_ **I know just how you feel. Even though I'm the writer, it still hits me how Percy would kill anyone in their way to make her happy. I get you. And as for school, ughhhhhh. I feel you on that too. It's like the bane of my existence. I get so stressed sometimes, I feel like crying. Writing is my resort to calm myself down and forget about how shitty school is. And I'm sorry ): tests always suck. I'm getting them too. And no problem at all, love. Im always here if you need someone to talk to. And do you have a nickname? I'd like to be able to call you by a name since your such a sincere and amazing person. Or is Star simply fine? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I love you too ≤33**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **I'm so happy you did! And, idk, why not? I won't call you darling if you don't want me to, though XD and uh oh! I'll pray for you (: Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Oh my God xD I laughed so hard at your joke for some reason. I wouldn't be able to help myself either. And thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter my friend c:**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Thank you! And yay! You're officially obsessed. That's awesome. And I live around Chicago ((: As for the meeting, you'll find out in this chapter! And Percabeth fighting? Welp...not much I can say in that matter cuz you all would hate me. Thank you so so much! I will never stop writing ((:**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Thank you so much! Like I said before, your kind words make my day. And as for your question, Calypso will not be in this story. So yes, it is Leyna ((: Again, thank you, so much x**

 _ **CaptainPokemon1:**_ **Yep! Im still trying to work out how to squeeze him into the story somehow...might take a while though. And alrighty. My sister says thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter! X**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Guess this has been the official Suck Ass Week. And thank you for your opinion! It means a lot. And my sister says thank you! And a thank you from me as well, for your wonderful words of kindness. I'm glad I succeeded in making those scenes emotional enough to hit you guys hard as well ((:**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Im glad you did! And wow that's great ((: I also know how you feel. I don't have any electronics (I'm writing this story on my sister's tablet) so it's pretty hard. But honestly, I don't really _need_ one, you know? Like, I might want one, just a part of me, but really, I don't see the need for a phone or something like that. And uh oh. Never argue with your parents XD**

 _ **bdaygirl:**_ **Uh oh, that's pretty bad. But I mean, smart of you to hide at least one thing XD**

 _ **Queen Carrot:**_ **Thank you! And ohh ok. Well, Athena wouldn't have had time to train Annabeth as a child. With her company and the gang and all that. But I see what you mean. You know how some things just come naturally to you? Yeah, that's how it is with Annabeth and fighting. She's got it more or less. And no problem at all!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **She says thank you! And a thank you from me too! I appreciate all your support ≤33**

 _ **Sapphire Trafficker:**_ **I know exactly how you feel. I mean, I loved school before, but Junior High? No thanks. Hang in there x**

 _ **Niki4ever:**_ **Youll find out in this chapter!**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Thank you so so much! And of course not! Your suggestions are valued (: and thanks for the focusing suggestion! I always love having a new story to read (: I'll definitely look into it. And again- thank you so much. You're really sweet x**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Aw, thank you so much! I honestly just get my ideas from books I read or shows I watch. Or they just pop into my head and I'm like, "oh, that'll work." But yeah. In so glad you like this story. I never get tired of seeing my readers saying that they like this story. It's surreal it's gotten this know. But thank you so much ≤33 and my sister says thank you! I'll definitely check out that fanfic. What's the author's name?**

 **Disclaimer: Uggghhhhhhhhhhh I don't fucking own anything**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

The inside of the building was _huge._

The floor was a clear and spotless white. Marble columns lined the walls, the surfaces gleaming. A chandelier hung from the ceiling at the entrance, lighting up the whole entryway. People were milling about, phones pressed against ears, coffees in hand, suits perfectly pressed.

"Its gorgeous," I whispered, my mind going to instant architecture mode.

Percy smiled down at me. "You think every building is gorgeous."

I elbowed him distractedly, my eyes tracing over every single wall, column, and window.

It was then that I noticed two halls fanning out either side of the grand staircase in the middle of the spacious room.

"Oh," Percy said, following my gaze. "The hall on the left leads to Hades' office. The one on the right to my Dad's."

I furrowed my eyebrows, opening my mouth to ask a question, but I was soon cut off by Percy.

"Hades and Poseidon have their own office buildings for each of their fields, but this is for the general part of the enterprise. Zues's main office is here too, since he takes care of most of the things that go on here," he explained.

I nodded in understanding, my gaze still shifting upon the room.

Percy chuckled softly, the sound soothing to my ears.

"Come on, Annabeth," he said, smiling. I followed after him, unable to keep the wonder from my gaze as I noticed all the small details in the room. The way the light from the chandelier reflected across the marble columns, the way the floor didn't have a smidge of any other colors, the way the halls curved elegantly around the staircase-

"Hey, Lise," Percy greeted a young woman about our age, who was currently frowning in concentration at the tablet in her hands.

She looked up, and a smile graced her lips when she noticed Percy. She was pretty, with caramel colored hair tied up in a neat ponytail. She had soft brown eyes, the color of coffee.

"Hello, Mr. Jackson," she greeted Percy, her sweet smile still intact. She turned to me, her eyes gleaming. "And hello to you too, Miss Chase."

I blinked, startled that she hadn't started screaming her head off and chanting my name for the people in China to hear.

She focused her gaze back to Percy, who had a smooth smile on his lips. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Well, I was called in for a meeting with Zues," he replied. "But I'm not quite sure which conference room the meeting is being held in."

"Ah," the woman nodded, tapping away on her tablet. Just as quickly as her fingers tapped against the screen, she looked up. "Conference room C."

Percy smiled. "Thanks, Lise."

The woman nodded, her lips curving into that graceful smile. "Your welcome, Mr. Jackson. If you need anything at all, just ask."

Then she focused her attention back to her tablet and frowned again, walking away.

"Wow," I said, blinking. "She took that well."

Percy smirked, slipping his arm around my waist and leading me in the direction of the staircase. "The people here come to work, not faint over some celebrity. Besides, they're pretty used to seeing important people. After all, Zeus only hires the best."

I tilted my head to the side. "Makes sense."

"Also," he added with a smirk. "The people here worship me more than they do to a flimsy supermodel like you."

I scoffed, shoving him. He laughed, the sound making a heat wash over my chest.

"What do you mean, 'flimsy?'" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

He flashed me a grin, the simple gesture causing my knees to almost buckle. He was so fucking _gorgeous._

"All those clothes you wear," he said, his eyes giving me a once-over. They met mine again, a certain flash of teasing and slight desire in them. "If you hadn't noticed, they show a lot of skin." He leaned in closer to me, a wry grin on his face, his breath fanning my cheeks and causing my breath to hitch. "But hey, I'm not complaining."

I rolled my eyes, smacking him on the chest. "Fuck off," I hissed as he laughed.

"You know what? You're starting to annoy me." I said, shoving him to the side and walking in front of him as we reached the last step of the staircase. "I'll find my own way to his office."

"You're gonna get lost, dearest!" He shouted after me, and I could practically hear the wild grin on his face.

"Remember who you're talking to, darling!" I called back, unable to keep from laughing. Percy chuckled behind me, but soon I could not hear him anymore, as I had soon began trying to look for conference room C.

* * *

"Oh, there you are," Jason said with a smile as I neared them. He glanced over my shoulder, frowning. "Where's Percy?"

I flashed him a smile. "I left him behind."

Thalia snorted. "I don't blame you. I'd leave him behind any day."

"And then you'd die," Nico deadpanned, swiping through his phone.

Thalia narrowed her eyes at him. "What the fuck are you saying, Death Breath?"

He smirked, still not lifting his gaze. "Oh come on, Pinecone Face. Percy's saved your ass more times than you can count. You're just to bitchy to admit it."

Jason laughed. "That's true."

"Both of you are gonna need dick transplants very soon," Thalia snapped, her blue eyes flashing.

"Okay, what did I just walk into?" I heard Percy's voice from behind me. Soon, his arm was swung over my shoulder, pulling me close against him.

Bianca cracked a smile. "Nothing pleasant. But long story short, Jason and Nico aren't going to have their dicks anymore."

Percy laughed. "Well that's sad." His gaze flickered over to the two boys, his smile amused. "You two know better than to fuck with Thalia."

Jason shrugged, the corners of his lips twitching. "It's one of those things you just can't help but do."

Percy rolled his eyes. I frowned. "What are we doing out here? Shouldn't we go in already?"

"We have to wait until someone lets us in," Bianca explained. "Even if we are their children, we can't go in there without given permission."

"But," Percy said, grinning wryly. "You guys are with Percy Jackson. So," he reached for the doorknob, pulling it open. He winked at us. "I have given you guys permission for entrance."

Thalia groaned, getting up from the chair she had been sitting in and shoving Percy aside, entering the room without another word. The rest walked in, and soon, I was the only one outside.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. _It'll be fine. These people will help you find your Mother._

Straightening myself up, I walked into the room.

* * *

Once I walked in, I immediately felt as if I walked into a stadium full of people instead of something as simple as an office.

Around a sleek espresso colored table, sat about twelve or eleven people, each wearing completely different expressions. I recognized Poseidon, Apollo and Hermes among them. Hermes gave me a warm smile, his blue eyes glinting. Apollo, seated with his feet propped up on the table, looked up and flashed me a grin. Poseidon regarded me with a look of mild amusement, and I instantly felt my hands tempted to clenched themselves.

Percy was leaning against the wall on the left of the table, arms crossed and face cold, yet calm and collected. The others were seated on chairs around him, Thalia lounging lazily on one and glaring in the direction of a beautiful woman. I'm guessing that must be Hera. Jason was not sitting, but standing next to Percy, his expression sharp and attentive. Nico and Bianca were sitting in chairs, staring at their laps.

Percy smiled at me, his cold expression wiping off his face to one of content.

"Everyone," he announced, his voice nonchalant. He slipped an arm around my waist, and the gesture instantly made my tense muscles relax and my heart beat slow down. "This is Miss Annabeth Chase. I'm sure you're all familiar with her."

The man at the head of the table stood up, regarding me with a cold, expressionless face. He had dark hair, peppered with a few white strands here and there. He was a broad man, tall and muscular. Even from across the room, I could see his electric blue eyes, much like Jason and Thalia's. The only difference in his eyes was that they were a bit darker, not filled with humor at all and swirling with darker shades of blue, like a thunderstorm brewing in them.

"Miss Chase," he acknowledged, his voice like thunder. I noted a hint of something else in his voice. A tone I couldn't put my finger on. "Nice to finally meet you. Im Zeus Grace," he gestured to the man to his right; his skin pale, hair black, and eyes the color of obsidian. Bianca and Nico's father. "This is Hades di Angelo, my brother. And I'm sure you're acquainted with my brother Poseidon."

Zues then gestured to the woman Thalia had been glaring at earlier, her skin creamy and chocolate brown hair swept up into an elegant bun. Her face was beautiful, but there was a coldness in her dark eyes that made me know why Thalia didn't like her.

"My wife Hera," he announced. Thalia made a sound of disgust when he said her name, but Zeus didn't seem to notice, or care for that matter. Apollo, however, snickered a bit, while Hera stiffened and her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Apollo Solace," Zeus continued. "And his sister Artemis." The young woman sitting next to Apollo seemed to be around twenty-five, not much older than I was. Her eyes were a startlingly sharp gray, almost silver. They stood out against her olive skin and auburn hair, a white and light blue flower crown sitting stop her head.

"Demeter Gardner." To Artemis's left sat a woman about my Mother's age, her dark hair thick and plaited into a braid, a string of flowers woven into it. Her expression was stern, lips pursed and leaf green eyes sharp.

"Hermes Stoll." Hermes shot me a smile, his blue eyes still bright. Something about the color sent a sharp pang of familiarity through me. I'd seen that shade of blue before...

"Ares La Rue," a muscular man and dark hair cut into a buzz cut with what seemed like a permanent scowl on his face sat next to Demeter, arms crossed over his chest. A growl-like sound escaped Percy's throat at the introduction of the man, the sound sending a tremor through my body.

"Hephaestus Valdez," another muscular man sat next to the man Ares, his eyes dark and face covered in a burly beard. His eyes were sad, I noticed, and the name 'Valdez' made me realize something with a wave of sadness. This was Leo's dad.

"Dionysus Víno," a potbellied and portly man sat next to Leo's dad, his expression extremely bored and eyes glazed over. Percy made a sound of mock disgust beside me, and I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"And Miss Aphrodite McLean."

I felt myself freeze up. Did he just say _Aphrodite McLean?_

But sure enough, there she was, looking as glamorous as ever. I noticed, however, she was crying. Her Sapphire blue eyes were shining with tears that occasionally slipped down her perfect and smooth cheeks. She looked tired, and terribly sad. Her beautiful blonde hair, curled to perfection, seemed to be not done as nice as it usually was. Her cheeks were flushed, nose slightly red. But as broken as she might look, she still looked gorgeous. Just as Piper does.

"I'll explain later," Percy whispered into my ear, his hot yet cool breath sending a shiver down my spine and making me snap out of my reverie. I nodded softly. I felt something stir inside me, seeing someone as calm and joyous as Aphrodite cry like that. It was the same way I felt when I saw Leo and Piper cry.

"So," Zeus's voice rumbled over the room, causing everyone to stop talking and look at him. "Now that introductions are settled, let's get started. I have one question for you all. What is exactly has been going on?"

Percy tugged me over to where he had been standing earlier, and soon I was leaning against his hard chest, watching the meeting with rapt attention.

Thalia rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Isn't it obvious, _Father?_ People are trying to kill us. That's it."

A concealed mask of irritation crossed Zues's features, but he remained calm. Hera, on the other hand, scowled at Thalia's mock tone.

"Yes, Thalia, thank you." He said, his voice slightly disgruntled.

"But _why,_ though?" Apollo asked, fiddling with the button on his pale yellow dress shirt. "This all happened out of nowhere. We haven't done anything. So why?"

"Something's changed," Zeus said, his cold eyes suddenly on me. "Or rather, someone'sshown up."

I felt myself go cold and stiffen. "You think this is all _my_ fault?"

Zeus shook his head slightly. "No. Not at all, Miss Chase. We're just thinking that these events have had something to do with you. A connection, perhaps."

Percy tensed beside me, his jaw clenched and eyes flashing. "Annabeth has nothing to do with all this shit. She's been with us the whole fucking time."

"Percy." Poseidon's voice was warning, a clip to it that made me resist the temptation to flinch.

But Percy was already shaking his head, his fists clenched. "No. Annabeth would never do this or have anything to do with this mess. For God's fucking sake, she hasn't left my side."

"Percy," I whispered, looking him in the eye and putting a hand lightly against his chest. He clamped his mouth shut, his green orbs dark with anger. I shook my head ever so slightly, trying to tell him to stop. He stared at me for a while, before he finally sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

I turned to face the others, trying to steady my breathing. I looked at Zeus. This was the man that saved my Mother's life. He was the one who helped her form a new life. One that changed it forever. For the better, or worse.

 _I am forever grateful,_ I heard my Mother's voice echo in my head.

"Mr. Grace," I said, keeping my voice cool and calm. "I can see why you might think that. It would make sense, of course. Me, an innocent young woman, joining The Olympians. And right after, members of this gang are being murdered. People are obviously targeting The Olympians. But keep in mind that they are also trying to kill _me._ So of course, I have nothing to do with this. I have no knowledge of what might be targeting me or all the rest of us."

I breathed a calm breath, swallowing down the slowly forming lump in my throat. "I'm not sure if you all know this, but my Mother, Athena Chase, has been kidnapped. I know she was, and still is, an important member of The Olympians. The only reason I came here, was because I thought you all could help me find out who took her, and where. I would have not come if it weren't for that matter. But this meeting seemed to have been switched around to put the accusation that I, who has no experience whatsoever with these matters, have caused these disastrous events.

"The deaths of Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf have hurt me, even if I barely knew them. They were important people, I know that for a fact. All of the members that have died have affected us all. I'm hoping, that you people, who have been at this for many years, could help me find my Mother, and stop the downfall of The Olympians."

The room was silent, for a while, everyone simply staring at me with their lips parted. Zeus had a peculiar expression on his face, one I couldn't exactly put my finger on. Wistful? Admiration? Pleased?

"She's right," said the woman with auburn hair. Her eyes shone with grudging respect as she stared at me. She looked around the table. "Right now, we can't be pointing fingers at the daughter of one of our most promising members. After all, if Athena were here, you know she'd be telling you all that it wouldn't be wise to start accusing others without much proof. Am I wrong?"

Zues nodded at me, a slight dip of his head that I almost didn't notice it at all. "Very well. You make a fair point, Miss Chase. I apologise if my words came out accusing. But what I'm trying to say is that it is perhaps strange that ever since you joined The Olympians, others have been threatening us." His blue orbs darkened. "But the main question is, whom?"

He looked around, no one saying a word.

"It's true," he continued, "that none of our enemy gangs are the ones that are behind all this. No. This is something that has been planned. Over many years. These things aren't just happening on a whim. Someone deliberately planned the fall of The Olympians a while ago. And what's peculiar is that they started occuring right when Annabeth joined The Olympians."

His words left me stunned. They were true enough. I felt a sudden wave of fear wash over me. _This is something that has been planned._ But _why?_ Why when I joined The Olympians? The one group I never wanted to be a part of in the first place.

"When I find those fuckers I'm going to rip their limbs off one by one," snarled the man with the black buzz cut, Ares. His dark amber eyes suddenly seemed to light up with a murderous rage that seemed to be gleeful.

Zues cleared his throat. "Yes, well, the point is we all have to be cautious. With what we do to what we say, even to who we talk to." He glanced over at Hermes. "How many spies have we found in the company so far, Hermes?"

Hermes whipped out his phone, frowning, tapping away. "Fifteen," he replied after a minute, pocketing his phone.

Aphrodite weeped some more.

"That may not seem like a lot," Zeus said, his face grim. "But it is. We have to be careful with everything now. We can't be sharing just any information with anyone." He shifted his gaze to Percy. "How many spies have you found in The Olympians?"

Percy clenched his jaw. "I haven't been reported of any as of yet. My most trustworthy members have been alerted of it, and are still watching to see if anyone is acting strange."

Zues nodded. "Well, on that note, we have to downplay our roles in our companies. Try not to attract the tabloids too much. This is the perfect example."

The screen behind him suddenly lit up, and if it hadn't, I wouldn't have noticed it was there. After a few seconds, a picture appeared on the big screen.

I felt my stomach drop.

It was a picture of Percy and I riding on his motorcycle.

Percy was smirking, the curve of his lips making me want to smack it off him. Bianca sucked in a breath. Nico's eyebrows shot up, the most I've ever seen him looked surprised. Jason pursed his lips, while Thalia looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or frown.

The picture was taken from an angle that looked as if had been shot from the top of a building. My head, thankfully, was turned away from the camera, pressed tightly against Percy's back. My hair was flying wildly, the curls being stretched out so my hair looked like it was wavy instead of curly. Percy, unfortunately, was seen sort of clearly. He was smirking, that crazy and dangerous glint in his eyes visible even from the image. He looked a bit more recognizable than I was, because more of his features were shown, but that didn't make things any better.

Poseidon's mouth was set in a hard line, staring at the picture inquisitively.

"This picture somehow made its way into the news," Zeus said, his voice emotionless. "They don't know who took, or exactly who the people are in the photo, but people have their suspicions. Some think that that is indeed Percy Jackson, while others think it's a different person. The woman, however, they have no clue. And if I'm correct," he raised an eyebrow at Percy. "You caused quite an uprising with something as simple as a motorcycle."

Percy grinned dryly and shrugged. "You're not wrong."

Poseidon sighed. "As long as people don't find out that that is Annabeth Chase, we'll be fine. But we can't have any more of these photographs being leaked out. It's too dangerous, for you, and for the rest of us. If we keep ourselves...hidden, should I say, for a while, we'll be safe."

Aphrodite laughed, the sound making my blood run cold. Her mascara was running, her cheeks now dark with eyeliner. Her blue eyes were bright against the dark color, starting everyone who looked at her.

"Safe?" She coughed, a sob racking her throat. "You're talking to me about _safe,_ Poseidon?" Her sharp and devastatingly sad tone made Poseidon flinch.

"Aphrodite," Demeter said, starting to rise from her seat.

"No! Sit down, Demeter," Aphrodite cried. "My daughter just died, something that was not supposed to happen! And you're telling me to stay _safe?"_

Dionysus sighed exasperatingly, rolling his eyes. "Here she goes again," he drawled.

Hades narrowed his eyes at the man. "Dionysus." He said in a clipped tone.

"What?" Dionysus asked in mock innocence. "It's true. She's going to start bawling about her dead daughter again and make my ears bleed with her hyena-like shrieks."

"Dionysus!" Artemis snapped, her silver orbs flashing dangerously. "That is enough, you fat old man!"

Thalia busted out laughing.

Dionysus' face turned the color of red wine. " _Fat old man?!"_

"You heard me," Artemis growled. "Shut _up."_

This was utter chaos. Aphrodite was sobbing and yelling out curses at the others. Dionysus and Artemis were shouting at each other. Hera was telling everyone to calm down and sit back down to work things out. Apollo had pulled out some earbuds and was bopping his head to whatever he was listening to. Zeus, Hades and Poseidon were arguing about who knows what. Ares was yelling bloody murder at everyone. Demeter was scowling. Hermes was tapping away on his phone, while Hephaestus held his head in his hands.

"What do we do?" I hissed at Percy, who watched the scene with a look of slight amusement and nonchalance.

He smirked. "Thalia." He simply said.

She grinned, her blue orbs flashing. She put both her pinkies to her lips, hooking them over her bottom lip. She blew out a deafening whistle, one that made me flinch and the others instantly freeze.

"Will you all _shut the fuck up?"_ She yelled, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "You sound like a whole bunch of kindergartners fighting over a fucking piece of candy. Shut up and sit down."

She spoke with such authority and sharpness to her voice that everyone sat down, including Zeus.

He blinked, surprised for a second as if suddenly remembering that he was in charge. He stood back up, straightening his tie. Nico and Jason snickered.

He cleared his throat. "Things got a bit out of hand there-"

Aphrodite let out another wail, her whole body racking as a horrible sob escaped her throat.

Dionysus opened his mouth to probably say another insult, but one death glare from Artemis made him close his mouth with a snap.

Hera stood up, rushing over to Aphrodite. She leaned down and whispered some things in her ear, softly stroking her hair. Thalia rolled her eyes as her mouth twisted into a sneer.

"Fake ass bitch," she hissed. Bianca bit her lip and smacked Thalia softly on the arm.

Aphrodite sniffled, staring blankly at the table. She nodded, standing up numbly and letting Hera guide her towards the door. They left without another glance.

Zeus shook his head. "Like I was saying before, I apologise for that turn of events. But as I was saying before, we all have to be careful." He fixed his eyes on me. "As for your Mother, Miss Chase, I've already sent some of my best men to search all warehouses in New York, and some outside of the city. I expect Percy to send some of his most trustful members as well. We will find her. I guarantee you that."

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat slowly forming. I swallowed it down. "Thank you, Mr. Grace."

He stared at me for a second, his face and intense blue eyes void of any emotion. Finally, he faced the others.

"I think that will be all for today. Thank you, everyone, for coming."

The others nodded in response, standing up. They started to exit the room, and as Hades walked towards the doors, he turned and faced Nico and Bianca, who looked genuinely surprised. He muttered some words to them, and they nodded, standing up and walking out if the room, each on either side of the man.

Jason and Thalia started to leave, bickering about something quietly.

Percy wrapped an arm around my waist, and we started to walk out of the room, only to be stopped by Zeus.

"Miss Chase," he said, his voice blank. "I would like to speak with you."

* * *

Zeus and I walked quietly through the eerily silent halls of the building. The tall windows lining the wall to the left of me left a complete view of the skyscrapers and buildings in New York. I stared out of them, marveling the perfect view they gave and the cleanness of them.

"You have quite a beautiful building here," I commented, breaking the comfortable silence between us.

A ghost of a smile danced on his lips. "I'm glad you like it. In fact, your Mother was the one who made the new designs to it."

I smiled sadly, the mention of my Mother bringing a weight down on my body that made me want to collapse any second.

"You remind me so much of Athena," Zeus said suddenly. I blinked, staring at him.

"How so?"

He got a faraway look in his eyes, staring at the view the windows displayed. The light that came through the windows made the harsh lines of his face disappear, his blue eyes a lighter color.

"You both have that outspoken wisdom that just attract people to listen to what you have to say," he finally said. "You word your sentences carefully, making everyone who listen to you believe what you have to say. You're as intelligent as your Mother, just the sharpness in your eyes says that much. And after all, you seem to have that pride that makes you Athena Chase's daughter."

"I..." I trailed off, biting my lip. "I never really thought I was like my Mother. I always thought we were polar opposites. I guess I never spent much time with her during my years to see that we have so much in common. Personality wise, that is. The only time I ever got to be with her was for work. Always work. To make plans for new buildings. Attend meetings. Let her teach me all the things I had to know for when I took over the company."

I wasn't sure why I was telling him all this. I never really thought about these things, but they somehow seems to be pouring out of me. I needed someone to talk to right now, about my Mother. And Zeus was a man who knew my Mother as well as her own parents did. He was someone who could actually understand the person I was talking about. Melissa didn't really know my Mother. Neither did Percy. Not really. But Zeus did.

"Work always seems to get in the way of spending time with family," Zeus said, his voice wistful and filled with remorse.

I frowned slightly. The sadness in his face startled me. I suddenly remembered how Thalia always bad-mouthed her father. Now I was feeling sympathy for this man.

"You should talk to them," I said gently, keeping my eyes focused on the hallway that led us around the building. "Thalia and Jason. You rarely ever do. Maybe that will help a bit more. If you talk things out."

Zues's eyebrows creased. "Perhaps. Jason is much easier to talk to. Thalia is the more difficult one"

I smiled. "That's true. But either way. If you tell them you're sorry for not always being there for them, your only two children, maybe they'll forgive you."

Zeus shook his head. "It's not only that. Hera, I love her, I really do, but Thalia hates the woman. She can't stand even glancing at her. I know that she's angry at me for moving on so quickly from her mother, but she has to understand that this is how things should be. Hera has helped us all out more than Thalia can imagine. She just doesn't want to understand that."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "That's a more complicated matter. I remember when I found out that my Father had had an affair with someone else. It made me angry at him, but I still loved him. I'm sure that Thalia still loves you. She can't hate you. No matter what a parent might do to a child, they could never hate them. Just talk to her. Jason as well. I'm sure if you tell her what you've told me, she'll understand."

Zues was quiet for a while, not saying anything. He stared at the long hall in front of us, his blue eyes light.

"I remember when I met your Mother," he suddenly said. I looked at him. "I remember thinking that she was a stubborn young woman. Strong, both mentally, and physically. I remember finding her there, in that alley, her clothes ripped to shreds. But as scared as she ought to have looked to see me, she didn't show it. She had stared me down, a fierce look in her eyes that made me think she would be a perfect member for The Olympians. I would've killed her, had she looked frightened. But she had stared back at me with a level of intelligence and anger greater than I had seen before."

I felt a lump forming in my throat. I swallowed it down. Even if I wanted to talk to someone about my Mother, I couldn't help but feel like I was going to stop breathing any second now.

Zeus looked at me, as if for the first time. When I had been talking to him before, the times he had glanced at me didn't seem like he was looking directly _at_ me. Now he was.

"We will find your Mother, Miss Chase," he said, a firmness to his voice that made me believe we would. "Your Mother was a great and powerful woman, one I could never afford to lose. Not now, not ever. Even if we have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to get her back. We will find her."

I smiled at him, my chest aching and eyes pooled with tears.

"One can only hope, Mr. Grace."

* * *

 **Wow, so, I have a lot to say right now.**

 **First of all, my sister says thank you to all who wished her a happy birthday! It was fun. Pretty easy chapter for you guys. I loved that Olympian Break Down. That was funny. Second of all, shits just gonna keep rising and rising from now on, so be prepared for that. Be prepared to scream and cuss your hearts out at me, cuz that's what I want. And lastly, everyone do me a favor and go read a fic called _The_ _In-Crowd_ by _Suicideblonde99._ I think you guys might like it. Go drop her some reviews! And just a warning, the characters are really OOC. But it's just makes it much more interesting (;**

 **School is eh. I got one piece of eye-candy, and my friends think I'm a creep now. But whatever, I need at least _one person_ to make my day more interesting. Gym sucks ass. My Language Arts teacher sucks ass. Basically everyone does. But anyway, NO SCHOOL MONDAY! THANK THE GODS. Fuck you, Monday ((:**

 **I love love love LOVE you all so so so SO much. Stay amazing and beautiful.**

 **~Kat**


	35. Chapter 34

**Hello my angels! Kat is back with another update :D You are all so amazing and sweet. Thank you for your wonderful words that always bring a smile to my face. How was your weekend? Mine was good ((:**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Of course you are! And I'm so glad you did! I tried my best to make their characteristics match their normal personalities. I love Thalia too c:**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **You're perfectly fine! What do you mean late? You're literally one of the first to review ((: And I'm happy to hear you liked the chapter so much. I loved it too. I tried to make it as entertaining as possible, and made sure to add some Percabeth fluffiness too. And im glad you enjoyed the scene with Annabeth and Zeus. I enjoyed writing about that too because I wanted Annabeth to talk to someone who could relate to her Mother. And school is awful. I'm so sorry you're having such a bad time with it. You'll get through it ≤3 and I wish you all my luck with those tests. I've been having them too. And I don't like my math teacher either. I also hate math and gym in general. Like, I'm an athletic person, but no thank you. And alright Kass! And omgs, I saw your profile picture, and YOU ARE SO SWEET! I can't believe you made it one of my review responses to you. I love you so much ≤33**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **I did! She says thank you x3 and no problem at all! I can't wait to read more of it. I'm so excited. And that's great! I can't wait to read that either. I'm sure you did a fantastic job on writing the story for that character. Once you tell me it's been updated, I will go check it out ((: Thank you so much for all your support. And I wish you so much on those assignments and tests! I've had a lot of them too, trust me. But you'll do fine. I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Sapphire Trafficker:**_ **Hm, true enough. School is so boring, im literally desperate right now. Not for guys exactly, but people that actually make everything more interesting. It's just not fun without the people that always make you laugh there.**

 _ **Istar144:**_ **I can't say...and that's pretty true I guess. And there will definitely be more Percabeth. Don't you worry.**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Hello! I'm so happy to hear that! Glad you liked it. And about Athena...it's still a but more time left before we find out what happened to her. But Annabeth, even with all that she's been through, will not get depression. It's in her nature to stay strong, for all this she loves, even if she's sworn off from it. So don't worry..? Anyway, you're fine. I tend to ramble a lot too. Thank you for all your support! Hope you like this chapter :D**

 _ **loudlilylaugher11:**_ **Thank you so much! I'm so glad you find it amazing! And oh no! That's awful ): school's are so unfair. We can never get a break. I hope you like this chapter, though, veering away from the depressing topic of school ((:**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thank you! Happy to hear that you liked it. And yes! Please do. Im loving that sorry so much so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter (((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I have no idea XD I just write what I feel and all this comes out. Thank you so much! I love Percabeth too :3 and I tried to make Thalia as...Thalia-ish as possible. And don't be terrified! Everything will be fine...Maybe.**

 _ **CaptainPokemon1:**_ **I'm still looking for a chance to bring your character into the story. It might be with in the next chapter, the one after that, or even this one. But I will try. But thank you for your support! It is greatly appreciated. I couldn't quite post a chapter on Monday because I was too busy, but here it is! Hope you enjoy it.**

 _ **Dimitri Jinx:**_ **Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed that chapter. I loved writing it! I'll see about any more of those chapters, because I don't want to enhance them too much, you know? And yes, I loved the Olympian squabble too. And my sister says thank you! She just turned seven, so no, she doesn't have a fanfic account XD I'd hope not. And Thanksgiving for me is in another month, but thank you so much. Your words bring a smile to my face ((:**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I sighed, running a hand through my mess of curls as I tried to find my way back to the main entrance of the building. Percy had sent me a text that he'd be waiting for me there with the others.

My heels clicked loudly against the pristine floors, so shiny I could see my reflection in them. I nodded and smiled at employees passing by, who's eyes widened in recognition and awe. I hated it when people gave me that look, like I was a goddess of some sort. Well no, I wasn't. I couldn't make things appear out of thin air with just a snap of my fingers. I couldn't make wishes come true. I couldn't make everything change by just speaking the words. If I could, my Mother would be here with me.

My life would be normal.

I turned a corner, scrunching my eyebrows as I examined the plaques next to some room's door frames. I was pretty sure Zeus and I had come from this way...

Shrugging and deciding to simply take a guess, I began walking down the hallway.

Watching all of these people, milling around with stacks of papers in hand and phones pressed to ear's, made me think of my Mother's architecture company. I felt my eyes widen. _Oh God.._ Now that my Mother was gone, without alerting her employees, what was going on with the company right now? Surely my Mother's disappearance has made the news already, but what were they doing? Police were probably out looking for her. But they would never find her. They didn't know the real story.

I let out a yelp, feeling strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and yank me backwards against something hard.

"Where do you think you're going, Wise Girl?" A familiar voice said, his breath hot against my neck.

I rolled my eyes and resisted a shiver, disentangling myself from his grip and turning around, smacking him on the arm. "Percy, you asshole," I hissed. "You scared me."

Percy laughed. "I was just going to tell you that you were going the wrong way. You're lucky I found you, or else you would be lost."

I scoffed. "As if. I don't get lost."

Percy cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

I smiled. "Yes, really. Now, is it time to go now? I'm hungry."

It was true. The only thing I'd had for breakfast was a granola bar. That obviously didn't satisfy my appetite.

Percy rolled his eyes, slipping his arm around my waist, the gesture now familiar. "Of course, your highness. It's time to go to your carriage and get you some food because you demand it."

I rolled my eyes again, so hard it almost hurt, a smile dancing it's way onto my lips. "Whatever, Seaweed Brain. Where are the others?"

Percy began leading me towards the correct way. The hall I was supposed to go through was _the one after._

"They're in the car already. Hades talked to Bianca and Nico about who knows what, but they seem more relaxed. Thalia didn't get a chance to smack Hera since she had slipped out with Aphrodite, so she's pissed about that. Jason's trying to cheer her up."

I snorted. "That's not such a good idea."

Percy smirked, shaking his head.

I frowned. "Hey... I never knew Aphrodite was part of The Olympians."

Percy's smirk faded, his expression turning grim. "Neither does Piper. And we'd like to keep it that way. The poor girl's been through so much already." He sighed. "Aphrodite has always been a member of The Olympians, of the first generation. Remember how I said that Piper's parents barely even acknowledged her? That's because Aphrodite was so busy keeping up with her career as well as keeping her gang life a secret from her family. Silena was the only one who knew."

"But don't you think Aphrodite should tell Piper?" I asked, my voice suddenly quiet. "They need each other more than ever now that Silena's died." _Just like how I need my Mother._

Percy was quiet for a while, his green eyes dark as they stared at the hall ahead of us. "Perhaps," was all he said.

* * *

"Ugh, what took you guys so long? We've been in here for _hours,"_ Thalia complained once we stepped into the car.

Percy rolled his eyes, closing his door and turning the key to the ignition, starting up the car. "Shut up, Thalia. You have no tolerance for shit."

Thalia stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Jason sighed. "That meeting couldn't have been better."

Bianca shook her head sadly. "Poor Aphrodite. I can't imagine how devastated she must be right now."

"The whole thing went just fine," Nico drawled, his expression jaded as he stared down at his phone.

Percy smiled without humor. "Those meetings always go perfect. I thought you all knew that by now."

I picked at the end of my white playsuit, frowning. "Are those meetings always that bad?"

Jason snorted. "There's been worse. One time, Artemis kicked Ares in the balls because he'd complimented her rather explicitly on what she was wearing. We had to restrain her from whipping out her knife and stabbing him in the chest with it right then and there."

Percy smirked, maneuvering the car around the sea of vehicles in front of him. "I still think we should have let her."

"What about that one time when Dionysus had called Demeter a harlot?" Nico chimed in, snickering.

Bianca laughed. "That was bad."

Thalia added in, "what about that time when Apollo had tripped entering the meeting room and had grabbed the end of Aphrodite's dress to break his fall, but ended up ripping the whole thing off?"

The car was filled with silence. Then,

"I try hard to forget about that. Thanks, Thalia."

"I wanted to bleach my eyes."

"I couldn't stop laughing."

"Apollo really needs to work on controlling his strength. I remember all the guys gawking at her and Artemis and Demeter screeching at them to look the other way."

"Hera had slapped Zeus. That was hilarious."

"Aphrodite was so red. She was also practically _on_ Apollo."

Percy shuddered. "Let's just agree to never mention that again."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You all must have seen a lot of things then."

Nico winced. "More than I've ever wanted to."

Bianca grinned, peering at Percy. "So what now?"

He pursed his lips, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "While Annabeth was talking to Zeus, I got a call from Travis. He said he and Connor found one of the spies in their group. They locked him up in a room. Katie and Connor are watching him."

Jason's eyes flashed. "And what are you going to do?"

Percy's eyes hardened, his green orbs turning dark. "I'm going to go ask the guy some questions. Maybe even teach him a lesson or two, depending on his behavior. Jason, you're coming with me."

His eyes flickered over to me, his face softening slightly. "I'll take the rest of you back to HQ. Annabeth, you stay there and train or whatever. I don't want you going outside or talking to anyone." He glanced at Nico and Bianca. "Or any of you, either. You hear me?"

We all nodded.

He smiled. "Good. Now, where do we stop to get some breakfast?"

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

We arrived at HQ about an hour and a half later, already feeling exhausted when the day had just started.

We all exited the car, Jason and I having decided to take the motorcycles instead. Saying goodbye, Thalia, Bianca and Nico filed inside, bickering about something stupid.

Annabeth stayed behind.

She watched as I took my leather gloves and pulled them on, reaching into the car to take out my sunglasses as well.

Jason was already seated on his motorcycle, swiping through his phone absentmindedly.

Pulling my leather jacket on myself, I walked over to Annabeth, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against me.

She sighed, staring up at me with a troubled look.

"Hey," I said, putting my forehead against hers and stroking my thumb across her soft cheek. "It'll be fine. I'll be fine."

She frowned, her eyes still full of uncertainty. "It's just-" she broke off, shaking her head softly. "Are you sure this'll be safe?"

I smiled softly, pecking her on the lips. "Positive."

She stared at me for a while, her expression still worried. She then brought her lips against mine, moving slowly and passionately. I twirled her hair in my finger, the soft lock feeling smooth and silky against my skin.

She pulled back, her hand cupping my cheek. "Don't do anything stupid that'll get yourself killed."

I smirked. "Me? Never."

She managed a smile, her hand sliding down to my forearm. "I'm serious. Don't try to do any of your dangerous shit."

Jason laughed from behind us, pocketing his phone and gunning his bike.

"That's impossible, Annabeth," he said, grinning. "For all you know, he'll be getting into a fight with five guys and we'll never know if he'll come out alive or not."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Jason, shut up. Don't give him any ideas."

He laughed again. "Whatever. But come on, Romeo. We gotta go now."

I turned back to Annabeth, kissing her one last time. "I'll come back soon."

She smiled softly. "I'll be holding you to it."

* * *

Jason and I arrived at the warehouse where the spy was being locked up in thirty minutes later. We turned off the bikes, their loud roar lowering to a purr before silencing completely.

We started to walk towards the building, keeping our gazes alert and focused.

"Did they give you a name of who the guy was?" Jason asked.

"No," I replied, my eyes darting everywhere. "Travis just said that I wouldn't be happy to find out who the exactly the guy was. The bastard is trying to piss me off even more."

Jason chuckled. "That's Travis for you."

I rolled my eyes, stepping up to the side of the metal door in the front of the building. I pressed my hand to the side of it, a padlock appearing and scanning my hand.

The thing beeped in confirmation, the metal door groaning as it shuddered open.

Jason and I stepped inside the spacious building, the high ceilings and concrete floor making it cold inside.

People around my age and younger milled around, some of who I recognized. They froze when they saw me, their faces paling.

I grinned at the response. "Hey, everyone. Nice to see you all."

"Hello, Riptide, Storm," came the murmured response from everyone.

Jason nodded his head in greeting, his intense blue eyes scanning the room. "Where's Winged Thief?"

Many of them instantly pointed in the general direction towards the back of the warehouse. I nodded. "Keep doing what you're doing."

They all nodded in response, scurrying hastily to where they had been going before.

I chuckled, starting to walk towards the back of the complex building. From the outside, it looked deserted and sort-of rundown, but the inside was full of stairs leading up to different floors, doors that lead to different rooms, bright lights and full of thirty or forty-something people.

Jason and I walked around a spiraling staircase leading up to a second floor, continuing down a dark hallway. Once we turned the corner, I spotted Travis, leaning against the wall to the side of a narrow door, frowning at his phone intently.

Hearing our footsteps, he looked up, his blue eyes lighting up.

"Yo, Percy! Jason! How's it going, guys?" He greeted with a grin as he walked towards us. I patted him on the back, shrugging.

"I've been better," I replied.

Jason nodded as well. "Agreed."

Travis smiled that signature trouble-maker smile that got he and his brother into The Olympians in the first place.

I still remember taking a stroll through the city of Manhattan and spotting Travis and Connor Stoll, seventeen and sixteen years old, pickpocketing random people on the street.

"Where's Connor and Katie?" I inquired, starting to walk in the direction of the door.

"They're both in there," he said, jutting his chin at the metal door. "I'm out here just in case the guy escapes or tries anything. And to meet you guys as well."

Jason's eyes darkened. "How'd you find out the guy was a traitor?"

Travis's smile slid off his face, his bright sky blue eyes dimming. "Connor and I had been double-checking everything in the warehouse to see if it was in order, and we caught him talking quietly into the phone in one of the monitoring rooms. He was saying something about everything following along great. Something about Annabeth Chase as well."

I felt myself tense all over, a bubble of anger churning in my stomach at the mention of her. I clenched my jaw hard. "Anything else?"

He ran a hand though his curly chestnut hair, his expression stressed and irked. "He had been watching a monitoring of you, Perce," he said. "You and Annabeth. It had been at night. I couldn't really see a lot of it, but I caught a glimpse of Annabeth crying while you held her in her bed."

I felt a wave of fury wash over me. They had a camera in Annabeth's room. They'd been watching us. Where else did they have a camera hidden to stalk us?

Travis, noticing my change in mood, walk towards the door. He knocked five sharp taps. The door then cracked open, and two figures walked out.

One was a woman about Annabeth's age, with almond brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders in waves. Her green eyes were the color of the stem of a flower, bright and sharp. Her features were delicate, her frame petite and lean. She wore a honey colored shirt over some black leggings, brown ankle boots on her feet and a brown scarf tied around her neck.

The other figure was a man around twenty-two. He looked like another version of Travis, but about two inches shorter. He had the same chestnut colored hair, a bit darker. His eyes seemed to be a baby blue, lighter than Travis's.

Their eyes instantly landed on Jason and I. The woman's face broke out into a smile.

"Percy! Jason! Hey guys," she walked over to us, enveloping us in a hug.

I managed to swallow down my anger, tilting my lips into a smile. "Hey, Katie. How are you?"

She sighed, frowning. "Not that good. Life's stressing me out right now."

Jason's eyebrows furrowed sympathetically. "Isn't it to us all."

Connor strolled over, smiling. "Hey guys," he said, patting Jason and I's arms.

Jason nodded in greeting. "Hey man. How's it been going in there?"

Connor's expression was grim. "The bastard doesn't wanna talk. The only reason he opens his mouth is to spit out a threat."

Travis came over, swinging an arm around Katie and pulling her close against him. She rolled her eyes but didn't pull away.

I almost smiled at the sight. I remember when Travis was introduced to Katie. He had looked at her as if she was the most precious gem in the world. He and Connor had always messed with Katie, from putting beads on the floor as she trained to make her slip and fall to putting a bucket of water on top of a doorway to splash all over her once she walked through. Everytime Katie would lay her eyes on Travis, they'd burn with such hated it'd made me want to back away. But just two years ago, Travis and Katie had started to grow closer, and soon they'd been caught making out in whatever corridor they could find.

"He's not cooperating at all," Katie said, her green eyes flashing. As small as she may be, she could be scary when she wanted to. It reminded me of Annabeth, the thought of her like a pang to my chest.

"We resorted to torturing him to get something out of him, but..." Katie trailed off, a smile dancing on her lips.

"We figured you and Jason would want to be the first ones to try that out," Connor finished, smirking dangerously.

I smiled dryly. These were the members of The Olympians. They showed no mercy to those who turned their backs on us. As they were trained to do.

It never really hit me how heartless the members of this gang became over the years. How they killed people without a second thought if I ordered them to. How they set buildings ablaze and left banks and jewelry stores vacant with a simple shrug of their shoulders.

Now I wonder how Annabeth must've felt when she met us.

She'd thought I was a monster, I know that. Everytime she glanced at me her eyes would burn with an intense hatred that left me feeling impassive. I hadn't cared what she thought of me. This is who I was. Who I am. A man that finds glee in sinking a blade between people's shoulders and firing a bullet in the middle of someone's eyes.

"Well then," I said, smiling wickedly. "Let's take a look at the bastard."

* * *

The minute I stepped into the room and saw who was tied up on the chair settled in the middle of the room, a wave of nausea had rolled over me.

The man was about twenty-one years old, with curly honey blonde hair and a lean build. His eyes rose to meet mine, the color of the orbs a steel blue that almost made them look gray. He looked like a male version of Annabeth, the comparison making my stomach churn.

Jason took a sharp breath.

His lips curled into a smile, the tilt of his lips sending a chill over me.

My mouth felt dry. He'd been in The Olympians since I'd took over. He'd been one of the first members I'd ever trained. I'd trusted him.

And I still remember the day I'd saved him like it was yesterday.

* * *

 _The moon was already shining bright in the dark sky, the only source of light I had this late at night. Jason was right there with me, his blue orbs almost a sapphire color._

 _"Which direction did you hear the gunshot from?" I asked quietly, gripping the gun in my hand tighter._

 _"I heard it from that alley over there." He pointed in the direction of a dimly lit street, a dark alley right next to it._

 _I pursed my lips. "Let's go then."_

 _We walked quickly and swiftly across the street. It had been oddly empty, no cars passing by, the exception of a few at moments. But I shouldn't have expected a whole lot, after all. This was one of the more dangerous parts of Manhattan. A place where most people that knew better steered clear from._

 _I heard the sound of grunts and fists against skin as we neared the alley. It was pitch black, and I hadn't gotten used to spending time in the dark yet. But I guess I would. I was now the leader of The Olympians, a gang that got no rest._

 _I looked over at Jason, whose eyes were wide and alert, a slight glint of fear in them that made a chill run down my spine. My heart was thumping, the sounds of the grunts of pain something I hadn't gotten quite use to. Yet._

 _I nodded at him, starting to creep deeper into the alley. I spotted a dim lamp up ahead, the only source of light in this dark alley._

 _I saw the distant figures of about three men, their silhouettes moving away and towards another shadow. A man._

 _They were fighting, that was obvious, but it seemed to be three against one. The man they were fighting against was a bit smaller than the rest, a teenager of about eighteen years old._

 _He fought swiftly, ducking and maneuvering around the three men, kicking them in the back and throwing punches wildly. I blinked in surprise. I'd thought him to be dead by now. But he wasn't._

 _A smile ghosted over my lips. He'd be good._

 _I glanced over at Jason, who looked equally as surprised as I was. I gave him a nod, and I raised my gun, aiming the gleaming black pistol at two of the older men. Two clicks, and they crumpled to the floor._

 _Jason quickly shot the other one dead._

 _The young boy froze, looking like a statue in the middle of the alley._

 _I moved closer to him, and as I did, he slowly turned to face me, his steel blue eyes wide and frightened._

 _"Hey there," I greeted calmly. I gave him a smile. "I'm Percy Jackson."_

* * *

I'd asked him to join The Olympians, and without a moment's hesitation, he had said yes. He'd trained with us even since. Six years. And here he was, the last person I'd ever thought to betray me.

" _Jordan,"_ I whispered.

He kept smiling. "Hey, Perce."

"You...what..." I couldn't seem to form any coherent words, just snippets of sentences I could not choke out. But as I stared at him, knowing that he was helping in trying to hurt Annabeth and the rest of my family, I felt my shock and disbelief turn into anger.

" _You motherfucking asshole,"_ I snarled, my fists clenching. "You're one of the shit-eating traitors that's been helping in killing my members? Trying to _kill Annabeth?"_

He shrugged nonchalantly, the relaxed gesture leveling my anger to one of fury.

A growl escaped my throat as my anger took over, and I walked over to him, swinging my fist back and connecting it with his face.

I fisted my hands in his T-shirt, so hard my knuckles turned white. "Who the hell are you working for?" I shook him violently. " _Who?"_

He turned his head to spit out blood, his lips stained red. He managed a croak of a laugh. "I can't say."

My vision was slowly turning red, my teeth clenching hard and making my whole face feel numb. It was the amount of seething fury in me that kept me from not feeling anything.

Releasing his now rumpled up shirt, I kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing to the floor with a groan. I kicked him once more before grabbing the front of the ropes wrapped around him and hauling him back up. He coughed, specks of blood splattering the front of my shirt and jacket. But I didn't care. All I wanted was _answers._

I fisted my hands in his hair, tugging hard. He grimaced in pain.

"You're gonna tell me," I growled, "or else I kill you in every way possible."

He smiled, his cracked lips dripping blood and staining his teeth red. He laughed. "Go ahead. Kill me. But I won't be telling you shit."

"You know what?" I asked, curling my lips into a smile. "That will actually be a better option." I reached behind me to pull out my gun, ready to make a see-through hole in his forehead, when I felt a small yet firm hand grip my arm.

I turned to see Katie, her eyes wide. She shook her head. "Percy, no. We need answers from him. If you kill him we'll lose our only resource of possible information."

I clenched my jaw tightly, still holding Jordan by his hair. I glanced behind Katie to see only Jason and Travis, both their expressions angry as they stared at Jordan. Connor wasn't in the room.

"Listen to the pretty girl, Percy," Jordan taunted. Travis tensed, his eyes flashing. "But either way, I won't talk."

"You're talking right now, aren't you?" Travis snarled.

"Travis." Katie said sternly, her green eyes darkening. Travis reluctantly clenched his jaw shut, yet his eyes still glinted with anger.

Katie sighed, turning back to face me. She moved in front of me, forming a barrier between Jordan and I. She was currently the only thing keeping me from wrapping my arms around his throat and squeezing until he stopped breathing.

"Look," she said. "We'll just have to keep him in here for a while. No food, no water. Then we'll see if he talks. You can hurt him, just don't kill him yet. If you do, who knows how long it will be until we find another spy? He'll talk. He just needs to learn what happens if he doesn't. Harm him now just don't ki-"

Katie was suddenly yanked backwards with a yelp, and once I blinked, there she was, being held tightly by Jordan, the rope containing his arms now littered on the floor.

He was pressing a silver knife to Katie's throat.

"Katie!" Travis shouted, his voice angrier than I've ever heard it. "You fucking pile of shit, _let her go_!" He tried to get to her, but Jason was holding him back. Travis squirmed in his grip, his face tight with fury. "NO! Jason you asshole, let me go!"

Jordan laughed, pressing the knife harder against Katie's throat, who gave a whimper as a trickle of blood ran down her skin, staining her brown scarf.

Travis shouted louder, struggling harder against Jason's grip.

"Let me go," Jordan said calmly. "And Katie doesn't die."

"SON OF A BITCH!" Travis seethed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "LET HER GO!"

I was trying hard to control myself, to restrain myself from yanking Katie from his grip and sinking that blade in his eye. But I knew that if I took one step, he'd slit Katie's throat without hesitation.

"Travis, stop," Katie said quietly, her jaw clenched and green eyes bright. "Percy, don't let him go. Then we won't have anyone to get information out of-"

Jordan shook her hard, the blade cutting a line across her throat. Katie winced, crying out softly.

" _You shut up,"_ Jordan snarled.

"Katie," Travis whispered, his voice defeated and angry.

I glanced at Jason, and our eyes met. A silent understanding passed between us, he nodded. It was just a very small bow of his head, and I almost didn't notice it. But I did.

I moved so Jason and Travis were out of Jordan's view.

Jordan grinned, his teeth an orange-red color, as if he had sunk his teeth into a cherry.

"Are you gonna let me go?" He asked quietly, his eyes bright with excitement. I realized this was how I must look when I killed someone, with a bright gleam in my eyes and grin dangerous.

"Will you let Katie go?" I countered, my jaw set.

"Of course," he replied easily. "But you have to let me go without any harm coming to me as I leave."

Katie opened her mouth to protest, but the blade only sank deeper into her throat, effectively causing her to whimper and a tear to streak her cheek. But her eyes burned with hatred and determination, her jaw set stubbornly. I almost smiled.

"Katie first," I said harshly.

His eyes flickered over my shoulder. "Tie them up and open the door, and then I'll let her go."

I gritted my teeth. " _Fine."_ I grabbed the rope and walked over to Jason and Travis, my eyes never leaving Jordan's figure.

I grabbed the two men and wrapped it around them, Travis looking at me angrily.

"He's not going to give her back," he hissed under his breath. "How can you trust he will? What if-"

"Travis, shut up," I said quietly, knotting the rope together. " _You_ need to trust _me."_

I glanced at Jason, who was looking at me impassively. "Do you trust me?" I asked.

He smirked and gave me a wink. "Always."

I grinned wryly and led them both over to the far corner of the room. I then walked over to the door, opening it up and hoping that Connor wouldn't poke his head in.

My heart beating against my rib cage and blood rushing in my ears, I faced Jordan. "Now," I said calmly. "Let her go."

He eyed the door and the Jason and Travis, both their faces expressionless. His eyes flickered back to me. Without warning, he shoved Katie to the floor, and she didn't even have time to cry out in surprise. He bolted towards the door with incredible swiftness, something he'd been taught to do over the years. The thought made my stomach churn.

"Connor, _now!"_ I shouted, racing towards the door. A blur passed by me as I watched Jordan reach the end of the hall, but as quick as he may move, Connor was even faster. Connor pounced on him, sending him crashing to the floor.

They wrestled on the ground, until finally Connor managed to pin Jordan down.

Jordan growled in anger, his eyes almost gray. "You bastard!" He snarled, thrashing. "You said I'd go without anyone grabbing me!"

I chuckled without humor. "I thought you'd known better than to trust a gang leader." My eyes narrowed into slits. "Especially if that leader is _me."_

I saw a flash of silver, but as quickly as Jordan pulled out another blade, I had my gun out, a bullet racing out and shooting him in the arm where he held the knife. He shouted in pain, dropping the knife.

"None of that now," I said, twirling the gun in my hand lazily. "Connor, toss me that blade, will you?"

Connor reached out a hand and picked it up, keeping his other hand secured hard on Jordan's neck. He tossed it to me, his eyes not leaving the traitor's under him.

I heard the click of boots as they walked over to me quickly, and I spared a glance over my shoulder to see Katie, Jason and Travis, all staring at Jordan with a look of contained anger.

Jason glanced at me. "Now what are we gonna do with him?"

"He," I said, "is going to show me that footage of Annabeth and I. But for now, help Connor check to see if he has any weapons on him. Knives especially."

Jason nodded, walking over to him. Connor got up and off him, picking him up not gently at all. Connor held him as Jason checked his pockets and everywhere else.

I glanced at Katie, who had a trail of blood trickling down her skin from an inch and a half long cut on her neck. I raised an eyebrow at her. "You okay?"

She clenched her jaw, her eyes flashing as they stared at Jordan's seething figure. "I'm fine. It just stings a little."

Travis growled. "The motherfucker's gonna regret touching you."

A hint of a smile danced on Katie's lips. "Aw, is wittle Travis mad that a guy touched his girlfriend?"

I chuckled as Travis gave her a serious look, yet some mirth twinkled in his eyes. "Katie, he could've killed you."

"But he didn't," she replied stubbornly, rolling her eyes. "I'm still alive and breathing, aren't I?"

"Thank God," he muttered, but wrapped an arm around Katie's waist and pulled her against him protectively. He leaned forward and planted a kiss right on the cut, pulling away with his lips tainted red.

Katie groaned, making a face. "Travis you idiot, that's nasty." He laughed in response.

I chuckled. "Travis, go take Katie to clean that up." Katie narrowed her eyes at me. "I know it's not that serious," I continued. "But you're still losing a lot of blood, even from that little cut. And it's deep, isn't it? Go get it treated. Once that's done, meet us in monitoring room A." I glanced impassively at Jordan, anger rising up my throat. "That fucker is gonna show me how he's been stalking Annabeth and I."

* * *

I slammed the door open, nodding to Jason and Connor to bring Jordan inside, who they were gripping by the arms harshly.

They shoved him in, and once we were all inside, I swiftly slammed Jordan against the wall to the monitoring room, emitting a pained grunt from him.

I stared at him with narrowed eyes, taking a switchblade out from my back pocket and pressing it against his neck.

"Did you have your fun?" I snarled, pushing him harder. "I suggest you don't try that again, or else you won't even be able to breathe. Understand?"

Staring at me with angry eyes, I suddenly felt something wet hit my face, sliding down my temple languidly. The asshole just spit on me.

Clucking my tongue, a chuckle escaped my lips. "Jason."

Jason walked up to Jordan and took him from my grip, throwing him to the floor and giving him a kick in the ribs.

I wiped the trail of spit off my face with the cuff of my jacket.

Giving him one last kick, Jason stepped away from Jordan, laying pathetically on the floor. I never imagined having to hurt him, of all people, like this.

"I trusted you, Jordan," I said quietly, shaking my head. "But now, it's come to this. And no, I'm not going to show you any mercy for once having faith in you. You don't deserve it. For trying to hurt Annabeth, to killing my family. So, _get up."_

With some difficulty, he stood up, clenching his jaw and hands tightly. His face was streaked with blood, some specks of it littering his shirt like a piece of art. A very cruel painting.

"Now," I said, moving to him and flicking the blade across his cheek, a gush of blood spilling out. " _Show me."_

* * *

 **Dam, Percy.**

 **How many of you like him acting like that? All mean and violent and angry? How many of you don't? Cause I do.**

 **Anyway, not much to say this time. Life's good, I guess. I baked cookies, but sadly, not blue. But here, all of you have one; (::) hope you like the cookie :3 also, I just read a book called _Will Grayson, Will Grayson_ by John Green, and can I just say...Wow. That book is amazing. You all should really read it. I bet you can all relate to it in someway, because I could. The end almost had me in tears. Not of sadness, but of content. Read it.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I love you all and you're amazing and the best things ever.**

 **~Kat ≤33**


	36. Chapter 35

**Hiya everyone! How are you all? Is life good? A pain in the ass? Yeah, I feel you. But anyway, sorry about the sorta late update, I've had a busy week. I hope this long chapter makes up for it. But I'm here to brighten (not really) your moods by bringing you this chapter! I hope you all enjoy, cause you are all so amazing.**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Im so happy you liked it! Gurll, you make my day. Just by reading your username makes me smile. Like seriously, you're so sweet. Yeah, there was a minimum amount of Percabeth in that chapter, but I'm still glad you enjoyed those small moments. And damn, thinking about a mean Percy and Jason makes me fan myself. Like wOw. And oh my gods yes! I love Connor and Travis. Katie too! I love me some Tratie. But anyway, sorry for that little game there. I just love to keep y'all in suspense (; lmao, but seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll get through it and do an amazing job at whatever thing those assholes throw at you. Don't stress out too much about it, trust me, I've been there. Don't over think things. If you start to feel that wave of stress coming on, do something that you love. Take a nap. Relax. Enjoy yourself. I'm sure everything will be okay. I'm here for you ((: Ilysm Kass ≤33 P.S; Do me a favor and kick one of those guys in the balls for me, yeah? Thanks ((:**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Thank you! I will try to add more chapters like that. Angry Percy will definitely be showing up more, and Annabeth will be her deathly cute-self. And yep, Jasper will be coming along ((:**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that you liked that chapter! And omgs, I read the chapter for Lise and I was DYING! It was so good! I can't wait for the second chapter! You're doing such an amazing job ≤33**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **No! I totally get what you're saying. I love it when Annabeth calms him down because it's just too much for me seeing how pissed off Percy can get over the littlest things and Annabeth being there to soothe him. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! Hope you like this one! And yes! Read the book, it's amazing ((:**

 ** _michellePJOHOO_ : Well I'm glad you reviewed with those kind words! Thank you so much. I'm so glad you like this story and you're reading it. I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you so much!**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Im so glad you're hooked to this story! I welcome you to the family of SoL ((: I tried my best organizing each character and making sure everything about their backstory made sense. Thank you so much x**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **I love Percy being like that too. It gets me so hard, I don't know why. I like Dark Percy. You don't know how grateful I am that you turn to this story to relax you. School can be such an asshole. Try not to stress out about it too much. I'm sure everything will be fine for you and that you'll find peace very soon. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you ≤33**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **That's sad ): I don't know what I'd do without my friends. I hope you find some people to keep you good company and make you feel calm and happy (: hang in there x**

 _ **Dimitri Jinx:**_ **Im so glad you enjoyed it! I love dark Percy. But if you think about it, Dark Percy is not that far off from regular Percy. And uh oh, hope I didn't give you that much of a shock. Jordan being Luke would have not been a pretty thing. And you're not being a burden at all! You're perfectly fine. I love to rant, and I tend to do it a lot, so go ahead. Let it all out. I'm here to listen, or rather, read. I know school can be really stressful, especially when you start those bigger schools. Don't over think things too much. Find a time when you can relax and enjoy yourself. Surround yourself with things that make you happy. Talk to your science teacher. Tell her that you don't think it's fair that she's giving you these grades. Talk to your parents. Talk to your friends as well. If they make you feel bad, then they're not your real friends. Ignore that girl that tries to pick a fight with you. Brush it off. Don't show her that she's getting to you. If you do, she'll pick on you even more. Be kind to her in return. Be the bigger person. I hope that everything becomes so much better for you. I hope you have a wonderful week ≤33 And remember, if you ever need anyone to talk to, im here x**

 _ **Maitre Inquisituer:**_ **I'll see what I can do (':**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Wow, thank you so much! Your words mean a lot. I always hope to please you all and do my best to make you all satisfied with what I write. I'm not sure about famous author, but thank you ≤3**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Hello! And I'm glad you thought it was! I tried to make it as intense as possible. And no actually, I did not. I haven't even seen the movie. I just thought that doing that would add more tension in the story. Looks like it worked. And no, I'm perfectly fine. I just had a busy week, that's all. But here's the next chapter, so I hope you enjoy it ((:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

After I'd walked back inside, I'd went up to my room, almost automatically, and sat on the bed, staring blankly at the door.

I tried not to think of Percy and what he was doing. I tried not to think of the way my chest tightened when the thought of him getting hurt crossed my mind. I pushed that feeling away. Percy seemed to get hurt all the time. I shouldn't be worrying about one single person that much. Especially if I don't love the person.

I pushed all thoughts of my Mother aside as well. I didn't want to cry. I was sick of it. I was sick of the way I went blind when tears flooded my eyes. I was sick of the way I couldn't breathe whenever a sob escaped my throat. I was sick of the way my body felt overwhelmed with tiredness after I finished bawling. I was sick of it all.

But sooner or later, the tears would come. Again, again, and again.

Sighing and trying to keep my mind clear of thoughts, I slipped off my heels and placed them in the closet. I took out some gray fleece shorts and a white T-shirt, putting them on after I'd discarded the white playsuit.

I checked the time on my phone. _3:23._ I weighed the decision of going downstairs to find the others, but I was sure they were all resting in their rooms. Guess I should too.

Sinking into the pillows and staring at the curtains hanging from the posts of the bed, I closed my eyes lightly. I tried to imagine of a world where I was a different person. One where I was happy, safe. One where I could be a supermodel and actually be able to plaster on a genuine smile. A world where my family was together and happy, Bobby and Matthew all grown up.

A world where I'd be able to love a man.

The sound of someone knocking on my door made me open my eyes, making the world I'd wish to live in fade away, like a stain of water on a shirt. Gone until I'd attempt to imagine it again. But somehow, I knew I wouldn't be able to.

"Annabeth?" I heard someone call. Piper.

"Come in," I said, sitting up.

The door opened, revealing Piper already dressed comfortably in some pants and a tank top. I was glad to see she wasn't wearing any of those dark and gloomy colors, but soft pinks instead.

She walked towards me, closing the door behind her.

"Did you need anything?" I asked, smiling.

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip gently. "I...I just needed someone to talk to."

"Oh," I said. "Well, sit down then." I patted the spot beside me, smiling at her.

Piper sat down slowly, her eyes void from that usual sparkle they normally withheld. I grabbed a pillow and handed it to her. She gave me a soft smile and took the pillow, hugging it to her chest. I grabbed one myself and set it in my lap, running my fingers lightly over the cover. We stayed like that for a while, not saying anything. It was peaceful, the silence.

Finally, Piper spoke, her voice as quiet as the brush of a gentle breeze. "I...I don't know how I'm going to explain Silena's death to my family."

I caught my breath, feeling a sudden pang. That's right. Piper didn't know that Aphrodite already knows about Silena's death. She has no idea how broken her mother really is right now.

I wanted to tell her, but something held me back from telling her the truth. It wasn't in my place to spill that secret. Aphrodite had to tell her. Just as how my Mother was supposed to be the one to tell me that she was in The Olympians.

"Have you talked to her?" I said instead, keeping my voice quiet.

Piper shook her head, her mahogany braids spilling over her shoulders. "No. I haven't spoken to my Mother in years. When I joined The Olympians, I had simply left a note saying that I couldn't live with them anymore. That I wanted to live on my own." Her arms tightened around the pillow. "But what I find weird is that they never did anything to look for me. My face didn't appear on every news channel. It was as if I had never left. I never existed. That's how it was when I was at home. It was then that I knew how much my parents really cared about me. That's just it. They didn't."

There was a bitterness on her tone that made my throat constrict. I bit my tongue, refusing to tell her the truth. It wasn't my place to do it. But then again, Piper was hurting. It was best for all of us to know the truth, no matter how much it hurts. That's something I've learned throughout my whole life. One way or another, the truth always catches you, and when it does, it never let's you go. You have to face it, not run away from it. That does you no good. I wish I could run away. Run away from everything. But I somehow manage to always trip and let it get me.

"I think," I said slowly, letting my eyes flicker up to meet hers. Her multicolored orbs shone with fear, sadness, anger, regret, and hopelessness. I felt a lump form in my throat, and I forced myself to swallow it down. "I think that you should talk to your mother. Both your parents. Tell them what's really going on."

A tear spilled out of Piper's eye, and she shook her head. "They won't understand-"

"You don't know that," I said, keeping my voice steady. "You won't know until you tell them. Trust me on this, Piper. You need them more than ever right now. You love them, don't you? No matter how much you think they don't care for you, you still love them. And I'm sure as hell that they love you too." I reached out and grasped her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. I smiled, tears already forming in my eyes. Dammit. "Love is a horrible thing, Piper. But love is the one thing that will save you. Never let it destroy you."

I almost laughed. Here I was, talking about love, when it was the one feeling that made me the most terrified. But these words seemed to just spill out of my mouth, no filter to keep them in.

I was crying now. "Talk to your parents. Tell them how much you love them. How much you loved, and still love Silena. How much you love Jason. How much you love your family in The Olympians. Trust me, admitting your love for those people will make you feel so much better. Don't let it scare you."

Piper smiled through her tears and shook her head, laughing breathily. She raised her hand to wipe her tears. "Damn it, Annabeth. Why do you always manage to make me cry whenever we talk?"

I laughed shakily, wiping at the drops of liquid on my face. "Trust me, it's a skill I don't really like."

Piper smiled and set the pillow beside her, leaning forward to embrace me in a hug. I wrapped my arms around her back, inhaling the smell of honeysuckle she always seemed to carry. The scent soothed me, making me feel relaxed and my head clearer.

"Thank you, Annabeth," she whispered into my hair, clutching me tighter. "Thank you so much."

And for once, I actually believed the words.

"You're welcome, Piper."

* * *

After holding each other and crying a little longer, Piper and I decided to go downstairs. We went into the kitchen without even telling each other where we were going, which made me smile.

Reyna and Thalia were sitting on the stools when we got in there, both talking and eating what looked like yogurt with trail mix.

Thalia's eyes instantly zeroed in on Piper and I once we walked in. She waved at us with a spoonful of yogurt, which consequently fell onto the counter with a silent plop.

Reyna rolled her eyes and nodded at Piper and I. "Hey, girls," she greeted, standing up to put her plate in the sink. "What's up?"

I sighed, pulling out a stool to sit on. "Nothing much. I'm just really tired, and tell day's barely started."

Thalia's sharp blue eyes glinted. "That's why you need to train more. Shake out those nerves and all that exhaustion. Trust me, it helps."

The corners of my lips twitched and I shook my head, tapping my fingernails against the smooth surface of the kitchen island. "Maybe. But it's weird. When I was on tour, I'd barely get any sleep. I'd walk up and down stairs and catwalks for hours, with heels, mind you, but I was never this tired."

"Hm," Thalia mused, licking off some yogurt from the silver spoon thoughtfully. "Maybe we ought to make you train in heels."

Reyna came back and shook her head, smirking slightly. "I don't think that's the problem, Thalia." She fixed her intimidating dark orbs on me. "I know how you feel. But trust me, you'll get used to it. I remember how tired I was when I joined this gang."

I suddenly heard Percy's words echo in my head. _You learn to get no rest._

I don't think I want to learn how to do that.

"Where are the others?" Piper asked, the first words she'd said since we'd come in here. Her eyes were still bloodshot and puffy from crying, but otherwise, she looked better.

"Nico and Leo are downstairs training, and Bianca's taking a shower," Thalia replied, chewing on trail mix. She pushed the bowl towards Reyna.

The dark-haired girl's eyes flickered down to the white bowl and then back up to Thalia. "What to do you want me to do with that?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I want you, Reyna, to go put it in the sink."

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "You have legs. Use them."

Thalia scoffed and stood up. "Fine then. I now see how much you love me." She dramatically grabbed the bowl and sauntered over to the sink.

A ghost of a smile danced on Reyna's lips as she shook her head.

"How's Leo?" Piper asked suddenly.

Reyna's smile slipped from her lips as soon as the words left Piper's mouth. I restrained myself from wincing.

"He's... he's fine, I suppose," she answered, staring at her reflection on the counter. The sudden sadness in her voice brought a pang to my chest.

"How so?" I asked softly.

Reyna clenched her jaw and blinked rapidly. "He's smiling a bit more. He's had some of his stupid attempts at flirting with me. But his eyes," her voice broke. "His eyes are so sad. I've never seen them like that before. It just-I can't stand to see him like that."

"He just needs time, Rey," I said. "He'll come around soon. It's just hard on him. You can't expect him to be his old-self again after his cousin's death. Don't worry. Just be there for him. Don't let him push you away. When people are hurting and they tell you to leave them alone, they don't mean it. They want you there with them. That's what you're supposed to do when Leo says to leave him alone. You do the exact opposite. Stay."

I gave her a small smile, and I watched as she blinked a couple more times, and soon enough, the tears were all gone. _How did she do that?_

"You're right," she said at last.

"You sound like you speak from experience," Thalia said as she came back with two bowls filled with yogurt and topped with granola. She pushed them towards Piper and I, along with some spoons.

I bit the inside of my cheek. _You have no idea._ "I don't know," I responded, mixing the granola in with the yogurt with the spoon. "I guess I just have a good intuition about certain things."

"Athena was a very wise woman," Reyna said with a small smile. "That must've been one trait she passed down to you."

I forced my lips into a smile, distracting myself from replying by taking a spoonful of yogurt. I didn't want to think about my mother. Thoughts of her just made me feel sad and angry, and thoughts of her just led to thoughts of Percy.

I was worried for him. With how dangerous our lives had become, I didn't want him going out there so much. He could get hurt. _Annabeth stop. He's fine. You don't need to worry so much about him. You don't care for him that much._

I bit my tongue hard, feeling the copper taste of blood leak down my throat. Right. I can't get too attached. I can't care that much.

"Are you thinking about Percy?" Thalia asked, smirking as her blue orbs studied me.

I sighed. "Im just worried. With everything going on...I don't like the idea of him being out there."

Reyna shook her head. "You shouldn't worry. Percy can take care of himself. And honestly? You should be worried for whoever the traitor is. With Percy angry, you should be praying for _them."_

"Besides," Piper said, swirling her spoon in her yogurt. "Jason's with him. With them together, they're literally the scariest things I've ever seen."

Reyna nodded. "Jason and Percy are both extremely protective of all of us. Especially Percy. He won't let anything come in his way of making sure all of us are safe." She looked me in the eye. "Especially _you,_ Annabeth."

I felt my neck grow hot and my stomach churn. I resisted the urge to shake my head. No. It wasn't like that with Percy and I. Percy loves his family. He's known them for years. He barely even knows me. And to add on, he _doesn't_ love me. These girls have it all wrong. It's _them_ over _me._

Thalia snorted. "Killer Girl's right. If Percy finds out the bastard who's been spying on us has done something to harm you, Percy will snap his neck in half without hesitation."

I wanted to give them a smile, something, but I couldn't. I looked down at the yogurt. "But aren't you all ever worried that one of you might not come back? That Percy might not come back?"

They were all quiet for a while, and I raised my eyes to see their expressions. Their eyes had gotten dark and a little sad. There was a vulnerability in their eyes that made me regret asking the question. But still. How were they able to go on with their lives knowing that one day, one of them might not come back? They had to grow up knowing that they had the chance of losing the people they love the most. The thought almost made me throw up.

"We've always depended on Percy," Piper finally said, her voice quiet. "For everything. To keep us safe. To help us. To make us better at what we do. We don't like to show how much we need him because that puts too much pressure on him, but he knows it. We try not to show how scared we are every time he leads us to another mission or goes on one on his own. Why do you think we get so mad sometimes because he's always out there doing dangerous shit? There's a risk of him not coming back to us."

"But that's just how Percy is, Annabeth," Reyna said, shaking her head ever so softly. "He loves making us feel that way. He loves doing what he does. There's no way for us to keep him back from all that. So we follow him. We trust that he'll put faith in us, and believe that we'll follow him to the ends of the Earth."

"So that's just it, Annabeth," Thalia said, smiling dryly. "We _are_ scared that Percy might not return one day. But all we can do is trust him, and show him how much we love him, as much as that pains me to say."

Piper smiled, a genuine smile that made my tense muscles relax. "So that's all we can do," Piper said, still smiling. "Trust and love."

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

After shoving Jordan in the direction of the buttons to the controls of the monitors and growling at him to show us how he monitored us, he showed us the camera set up in Annabeth's room.

I instantly tensed, feeling my fists clench involuntarily and anger boil in my stomach. Annabeth entered her room, looking exhausted and ready to collapse. She sank into her bed and laid there for a while, staring intently at her door.

The sight of her made my chest constrict and anger slowly dissipate. I was starting to realize how my emotions towards Annabeth were making me feel nervous and uneasy. They were stronger now, and just the thought of her getting hurt was enough to make me want to snap someone's legs in half. My chest ached with longing to be next to her. This blonde woman was making me feel so overwhelmed with emotions. I had to put a stop to that.

I was reminded of Rachel. The feelings I felt right now were the ones I experienced when I was with her. I couldn't stand not being next to her, touching and kissing and staring at her. Then I'd been in love with her. The only difference now is that I don't love Annabeth. I never would.

The door suddenly shut close, and I spared a quick glance over my shoulder to see Katie and Travis enter the room. Katie's throat was all bandaged up, clear of any smidge of blood. She'd discarded her scarf.

They walked closer to where we were standing, staring intensely at the one monitor that displayed Annabeth. The angle of it seemed to be from one of the corners of the room, one that displayed everything from her bed, to her closet doors, to her bathroom door.

Annabeth had slipped off her heels and walked over to her closet. She went in there and emerged about two minutes later with some clothes in hand. She placed her heels in the closet and then began to strip of her clothing.

I felt myself tense, and I shot a look at Jordan to see him smirking at the screen, his eyes tracing a path down her body.

"Damn. Quite a lady you've got there," he said in a low voice.

Gritting my teeth and resisting the urge to simply snap his neck in half, I pressed the blade of my knife to his throat.

"Don't make me slit your throat," I snarled, pressing the blade against his skin just enough to draw a bit of blood. His eyes flashed, but he kept his mouth shut.

Annabeth finished changing and walked back to the bed, sighing and sinking back into the pillows. She looked so tired, so sad and lost. I wanted to be there with her, comforting her and holding her and kissing every inch of her body, but I pushed away those urges, focusing back to what was happening.

After a couple of minutes, someone knocked on the door. Annabeth called to come in, and the door opened, revealing a woman with mahogany hair and smooth cocoa skin.

"Piper," Jason whispered, his eyes fixed on her figure.

Piper walked into the room and towards Annabeth, her shoulders slumped with exhaustion and sadness. It hurt me to see her like this, the girl I've known to be so sarcastic and enthusiastic, now showing no sign of light.

"I..I needed someone to talk to," Piper said quietly. Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows but gave her a smile, patting the spot next to her on the bed.

They sat quietly for a while, a sort of comfortable silence between them that made me relax just slightly.

Then they began to talk.

And cry.

The words they spoke filled me with a sort of confusing guilt and sadness. But what Annabeth said filled me with a sharp pang of longing and another feeling I couldn't pin down.

 _"Love is a horrible thing, Piper,"_ Annabeth was saying, her eyes shining with tears. _"But it is the one thing that will save you. Never let it destroy you."_

I felt my throat constrict. I knew Annabeth didn't believe her own words. I knew she was saying this to Piper, but more to herself as well. She let love destroy her, the one mistake I knew she would never forgive herself for.

I let it destroy me as well.

I glanced at Jason, who's face was full of pain and longing. His blue eyes were even brighter with the screen of the monitor flashing light on him.

Piper and Annabeth talked for a while more, and by the end, they were both crying.

It felt so wrong to be watching them, this private moment they were having. Then I realized that these bastard traitors probably spent hours watching us, listening to each word that left our lips. Anger burned in my throat.

After Annabeth and Piper left the room a few minutes later, the screen shut off. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I stared back at the black screen. I could see myself, my face tight with anger and eyes dark.

"I want you to show Katie, Travis and Connor every other camera you have set up in HQ. And I want you to disable them," I said, startling myself at the calm tone in my voice.

"You see, I can't do that," Jordan drawled. "I'm not the one who operates the cameras-"

I wrapped a hand around his throat and squeezed, keeping my expression neutral. "Then why don't you teach yourself how?" I asked lightly, watching as he gasped for air. "After all, I know you're a very fast learner."

Both his hands tried to tug my arm away from his throat, but I didn't let go.

"Also," I continued. I narrowed my eyes at him. "I want to know where you're keeping Athena."

His face was turning red, his eyes watering. He managed to gasp out the words, "I... don't..know."

I clenched my jaw. "Yes, you do. I know you do."

He tried to shake his head. " _No..._ I don't."

I stared at him, watching as his face turned to red it looked as if he were on fire. He took one let gasp of air, and then I let go. He immediately sucked in all the air he could, sinking to the floor in his knees.

"Get up," I ordered, twirling the knife in my hand.

With some struggle, he managed to rise. His face was slowly returning to it's normal pale color, his steel blue eyes sharp with anger.

I turned to face Katie, Travis and Connor. "Jason and I need to head back to HQ. I want you to find out what other places there are cameras hidden in. _He,"_ I pointed the blade towards Jordan. "Has to help you. If he doesn't cooperate..." I smiled dryly, winking at them. "Then you'll have to show him what happens when someone doesn't cooperate with The Olympians."

They all smiled back and nodded, their eyes glinting.

I wheeled on Jordan, glaring at him. "I'll be coming back, and the next time I do, I hope you'll have answers for my questions. If not, you won't be seeing me ever again, much less any one else." I raised an eyebrow. "You understand?"

Slowly, he nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the floor.

I smiled. "Good." I turned back to the others. "I'll talk to you all later. You should still keep an eye on everyone. You can't trust that many. Don't give them any information about what's going on. Call me or Jason if you have any news or information."

Once they all nodded, I looked at Jason who locked eyes with me and nodded as well. We began walking towards the exit.

"You know, Jackson, I wouldn't be too confident if I were you."

Jordan's voice made me stop, and ever so slowly, I turned around. I scowled. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged, spitting out some blood on to the floor. "It's just a matter of time before you lose something you hadn't realized you loved before."

His words sent newfound anger coursing through my veins. "Is that a threat?"

He smiled, just a little twitch of his lips that made me clench my fists.

"I'm just saying," he said lightly. "You need to be careful with what you decide to do. Annabeth surely knows that."

"Don't you dare bring her into this," I snarled, glaring fiercely at him.

"But Percy, she always has been brought into this. Since the beginning," he said, grinning madly.

"You should really learn to keep your mouth shut," Jason growled beside me. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go. We can't waste time talking to a piece of shit like you who can't answer a single damn question."

Jordan chuckled without humor. "If you really want answers, then you should go back to the place where you once found me."

Growling, I shook my head. "I don't have time for this. Let's go, Jason. We'll see you all later."

We turned to leave, and once I opened the door, Jordan spoke again.

"Eleven o'clock tonight, Perce. Either you want answers, or you don't. But remember, you'll be losing an unknown loved one in a matter of time. Whether you like it or not."

Clenching my jaw tightly, I shook my head and shut the door behind me, closing off any other words he dared speak.

* * *

I hurried up the stairs to Annabeth's room, already having checked every other room in the house and not finding her there. I pushed the door open to her room...and found nothing.

Frowning, I stepped in, closing the door behind me.

I heard some rustling noises come from her closet, and then she emerged, a frown on her face. When she spotted me, her lips spread into a graceful smile that made her even more beautiful.

"Percy? What took you so long? It's been four hours-"

With a sudden longing and overwhelming urge, I walked towards her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against my chest and enveloping her lips with mine.

She tensed for a second and made a noise of surprise, but just as quickly she dropped whatever she was holding in her hands and kissed me back, wrapping her hands around my neck.

I didn't know what brought this on. Maybe seeing her look so sad in the cameras and so alone. Maybe it was what Jordan had said, about her being a part of all this stuff all along. Or maybe it was that sudden pulse of feelings that pumped in my veins from not being here to take care of her. But whatever the case, I had to touch her, to kiss her, to tell her how beautiful she was.

She put her hands on my arms and pulled away gently, a quizzical smile on her face. I was breathing hard already, and I seemed to pull her closer to me, every inch of her body touching mine. She was so gorgeous, her lips puffy and eyes clear and bright, her porcelain skin glowing and cheeks flushed.

"Woah," she said, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Where'd that come from?"

I shook my head, swallowing. "I'm sorry, I just..." I trailed off, staring at her beautiful face as she smiled up at me. I sighed. "I don't know, actually."

She chuckled softly. "It's okay. I get it. I feel like that too, sometimes. Like I can't get enough of touching you." She leaned up and gave me another kiss, this one sending my blood pumping and intensifying my other senses to max. I could hear the sound of her soft sighs, the sounds sending a fire through the inside of my body. I could feel the way her soft hands threaded through my hair, tugging lightly at the strands. I could smell the familiar scent of lemons on her, the one she always carried. I could taste the flavor of vanilla yogurt on her tongue. And when I opened my eyes, I could see her gorgeous face, her eyelids shut.

I felt everything at once.

I pulled away from her, both of us panting and out of breath. Her gray orbs were dark, and I was sure you couldn't even see the pupil in mine. She was just too damn amazing.

"Hold up," I breathed, heading over to the spot where I was sure the camera was positioned. I dragged her sofa over to that corner, then standing up on the arm.

"Seaweed Brain, what are you doing?" Annabeth asked, her voice questioning and amused.

I didn't respond, simply leaning up higher to the corner of the wall and peering closely around the intersection of it and around it. I almost doubted that there wasn't a camera here before I saw it; a little black box right in the middle of the connection of the two walls. I grabbed it. It was about the size of my thumb's fingernail, shiny black. Feeling a burst of anger, I crushed it it my palm, clenching my hands tightly until I heard the crack of the camera.

I opened my hand, letting the pieces fall to the floor in silent thuds.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked quietly after I got off of the sofa, her face suddenly devoid of happiness.

I scowled, dragging the sofa back to where it was. "One of the cameras they've been using. They're small, but visible. We just have to look closely for them."

Annabeth was quiet, staring at the spot in the floor where I'd dropped the pieces of the device.

"Hey," I said, walking over to her and wrapping my arms around her waist. "You'll be fine. We'll be fine. I'll find all of them and crush them to little specks if it means keeping you safe."

She smiled up at me. She surprised me by crashing her mouth onto mine once again, with a bit more force and passion this time.

I snakes my hands down to the back of her thighs, hoisting her up. She wrapped her long legs around me, tangling her hands and fingers around my neck. I nipped at her bottom lip, emitting a soft sigh from her. The sound made a fire light up at the bottom of my stomach, and I walked us over to her bed. I dropped her on it, a bubble of laughter escaping her lips. I grinned down at her before laying on top of her, my hands on either side of her head.

I kissed her lips once more before starting to trace her jawline with open-mouthed kisses, rubbing her bare legs with my hands. She squirmed and whimpered underneath me, the small actions making my head hazy and filled with passion for this one human being.

Her hands reached up to remove my jacket, which was thrown to the floor carelessly. We went back and forth, taking turns removing one item of clothing from each other, and soon enough we were just left with our bare bodies, skin pressed against skin.

I traced the sides of her with my fingers, causing her to shiver beneath me. I grinned, leaning towards her and kissing her lips feverishly. I pulled back, gripping her by her bare hips, the skin like silk beneath my fingers.

"Round three?" I whispered, my voice husky.

Annabeth smiled in a way that would make any man fall to their knees. "Round three."

* * *

Soon after, Annabeth and I laid side by side, our limbs tangled together and bodies pressed up against one another. I kissed the top of her head, causing her lips to twist into a smile.

Her eyelids were fluttering open and shut, her gray orbs bright and as clear as marble

"I forgot to ask you how it went," she said softly, tracing patterns on my chest with the tip of her fingernails.

I sighed. "It wasnt good. The bastard wouldn't answer any questions. The only thing I got out of him was where he had a camera in your room."

I didn't tell her about what he had said, that would just make her start to panic and feel sad all over again. I didn't want that. Not right now.

"Who was it?" She asked.

I closed my eyes. "A guy that I'd trusted. Named Jordan Gray."

Annabeth continued to trace patterns on my chest, slowly making her way down my body. "Trust is like medicine," Annabeth said quietly. "Sometimes it's good for you, if you use it in the right way. But if you don't and you abuse that goodness in it, it can be the end of everything."

Her voice was full of such hurt and bitterness it made me grab her hand to stop her administrations on my chest. I looked down at her, giving her a soft smile.

"Let's not talk about that, okay?" I said gently, giving her hand a squeeze. "Let's just lay here together for a while."

She stared at me for a while, and then finally, she smiled. She kissed me on the cheek. "Okay."

And so we did.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

About an hour later, Percy had called us all down into the meeting room. He and Jason told us about their encounter with the traitor and what he had said, but I'd still had an odd feeling that they were both not telling us something.

Percy then told us about going to one of the more dangerous sides of Manhattan to get some answers. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach telling me that this was not going to go well, that something was terribly wrong.

Bianca had even voiced out my thoughts, but what did Percy do?

Drove us all out to that place.

We were all equipped with weapons, just in case something happened, which I was sure something would. I'm surprised he'd made all of us go, including Bianca.

I sat with her in the back of the car now, both of us staring at the passing world outside the windows. I wondered if that world was any better than the one I was living in.

I doubted it.

I turned to Bianca. "If you don't mind me asking, but what did Hades want to talk to you and Nico about?"

She blinked, staring at the seat in front of her before a small smile graced her lips.

"I'm not sure, actually," she admitted. "He'd just said something that sounded like an apology."

I frowned. "Sounded?"

She kept staring straight ahead. "He didn't actually say the words, 'Im sorry,' but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. My Dad's never been good at apologizing. But then he'd turned to me and said that he'd have to start talking to me soon about all the plans in his field of Olympus Enterprises. He said I was doing a great job." Her voice then got quiet. "That my Mother would be proud, and when she would see me, she'd tell me those words."

I felt a pang in my chest. I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sure he meant good out of that. And I believe that too."

She finally fixed her eyes on me, as dark as the night sky outside.

Then she smiled.

* * *

Percy parked the car at the corner of one of the buildings of the street. We all piled out, and the laughter and jokes that'd filled the car before were gone, replaced by a serious tension that made me shiver.

Percy smiled at me, coming over to plant a kiss on my temple. "Don't be scared," he said softly. "Everything will be fine. We'll just look around for a while. If after thirty minutes we find nothing, then we'll leave."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Shouldn't we make at least two more backup plans?"

Percy stared at the entrance to the dark alley way nearest to us for a while, his eyes a piercing green under the light of the moon.

"Don't worry," he finally said. "I think with one plan we'll be fine."

"Are we going or not?" Thalia shouted, studying her the bow of her bow and arrows with an irritated expression. "I don't want to have come here at eleven in the night just to stand here forever."

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Pinecone Face," Nico drawled. "And lower your fucking voice. You're going to wake up everyone in the city."

Leo snickered. "I think she already has."

"All of you shut the fuck up," Percy said, his tone stern. "Just go in already. We'll be there soon. Jason, keep them in order."

Jason nodded, then turned and lead them all into the pitch black alley.

Percy faced me, cupping my cheek gently. "Thirty minutes. Nothing will go wrong. I pro-"

"Please don't say that," I sighed, shaking my head. "'Promise' is just a word that's a lie in disguise. Just say that we'll all be safe and I'm fine."

Percy nodded, smiling softly. "Okay then. You'll all be safe."

I bit my lip, glancing over to the dark alley. Just going through it would look like heading into a pit of eternal darkness, all your fears hiding there and coming out at just the right moment to make you scream. I suddenly remembered being pulled into an alley, the one where I'd met Percy in the first place. At least something good had come out of that, right?

I didn't know the answer to that question.

* * *

I don't know what we were looking for exactly, but I do know that we found absolute nothing.

Percy scowled. "There's no one and nothing here. Fucking Jordan. I'm gonna strangle the life out of him."

"Woah there," Bianca said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure we all wanna kill him right now, but we gotta wait a while. Maybe something will show up."

Reyna nodded. "She's right. I don't think Jordan would have told you to come here if there was nothing. With all those things he told you, I'm sure he must've assumed you weren't going to come. There must be something around here."

We spent about ten more minutes just waiting. Looks like that's how much time it takes for Percy to lose his patience. "There's no one here," he hissed, gritting his teeth. "Let's just go already."

"Aw, leaving so soon?"

I froze. I knew that voice.

Everyone else was as still as a statue, their hands clenched around their weapons. Me, on the other hand, could not move.

I felt bile and panic rose up my throat, fogging my vision as the ground seemed to tilt sideways.

I watched as a figure emerged from the shadows, lean and muscular. My eyes traced the familiar features of his handsome face. His twinkling blue eyes. His sharp jawline. His sandy blonde hair perfectly tousled. His lips tilted into the smile that I had fallen in love with.

I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. I staggered back, feeling myself crash against the bone-chilling wall. Those beautiful blue eyes settled themselves on me, and I felt myself ready to throw up and cry.

I distantly heard Percy's voice, repeating my name over and over, asking what was wrong. But it seemed faded, as if the only two people right here in this alley were him and I.

"Annabeth, say something," I heard Percy say.

But as I stared back at the man that ruined my life forever, that gave me nightmares and made me start bawling until I couldn't breathe, I could only utter one word.

One name.

A name that I'd sworn myself never to say again.

And when I did, it came out in a ragged, terrified whisper.

"Luke."

* * *

 **0-0**

 **So, I'm sorry for the kinda late update, like I said before, I was busy. Also, there's a possibility I might not update next week, so I'm so sorry for that. But I hope this long chapter will make up for it ((: So because of that, I'll just go ahead and say HAPPY EARLY HALLOWEEN! What are all of you dressing up as? And what candy do you guys want most? I'm dressing up as a Greek Goddess :3 (duh) and I want to get Kit-Kats (another duh) and Sour Patch Kids :D**

 **I will probably update again on November 1st, which is also my birthday! I'm so excited ((:**

 **And what did you guys think of this chapter? I was literally sweating by the end of it. Like, no lie. That was intense, and shits just gonna keep on going down from now on. So be ready to be cursing my name out into the wind and throwing whatever device you're reading this on against a wall and crying ((:**

 **LOVE YOU ALL! YOU'RE ALL SO GREAT AND AMAZHANG AND FANTABULOUS! STAY SAFE AND KICK WHOEVER TRIES TO STEAL YOUR CANDY IN THE CROTCH :DD**

 **~Kat ((: (I'm so ready for this)**


	37. Chapter 36

**Heyy everyone! How was your Halloween? Did you get a lot of candy? Scare the shit outta anyone? Kudos to you if you did (; another thing, it's my birthday! I'm so happy! But anyway, I'm finally back with another chapter! Sorry for the long wait everyone. I had a busy week. But I'm back! Hooray!**

 **You are all SO DAM SWEET! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **It sure was. I tried to make it as suspenseful as possible (': and I'll help you! But then I'll pay the side of his cheek and say it's ok, cuz in the end, Luke was a good guy, right? ...not sure if that applies to this story though. You'll find out. And I'll be ready with a bunch if padding and shit for when you and probably the rest of my readers come after me, cause after what will happen in this chapter, I'm sure you will. But yes, I absolutely had to add that Percabeth moment in there. And omg, I laughed so hard at your last comment about Percy going all out on Luke. That'll be interesting. Hope you like chapter and I'll see you soon enough in hell!**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **XD I was laughing so hard when I read that. Tell your sister I like her song (': and really? That's so funny. A lot of people I know have their birthdays in November. And tysm! Nooo don't compare that ending to MOA, cause then I know I left you guys dead. I cried at the end of MOA. But anyway, thanks a lot! Hope you enjoy this chapter, love ≤3**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im sorry!**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Yes he is... unfortunately. No, Jordan's not dead... yet. And thank you so much! That's the greatest formula ever! I definitely will enjoy my day (: and that's awesome. How'd Halloween go? And that's cool that you have an older brother around, I'm the oldest. But thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **CaptainPokemon01:**_ **Glad you enjoyed it! And that's cool (: How'd Halloween go? And that's sweet, but unfortunately there isn't any other way. I try my best to stick to my schedule, and you guys have to wait. And I'll try my best to incorporate what you said about your character into the story.**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Thank you! ≤33**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Hey! I'm so sorry, I've been quite busy. I missed you too (': And ooh that's gonna be tough. I wish you luck in your decisions (: But anyway, don't die! Cause after this chapter I think you'll probably pass out. Just remembered: stay awake. Whatever you do, do not fall asleep. I'll try my best to keep updating! Love you too ≤33**

 _ **julia:**_ **You sure did. And don't worry, I like being right too ((: and tysm! I'm glad you love this story ((:**

 ** _greekdemigodwannabe:_ Really? Tell her I said Happy Birthday and hope she has an amazing day ((: and I'm so glad you loved it! No one else seemed to enjoy it much XD I love a good cliffhanger too..but the one in MOA was too horrible. That one went too far. And thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that. You're too kind. I hope you enjoy this chapter x**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Luke is officially here now. And he won't be leaving any time soon. But here's the next chapter! The wait is over now. And that story is really good. Thank you so much!**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Glad you liked it! And I'm not sure... you'll have to wait and see (':**

 ** _Meistar:_ Left you speechless? XD**

 _ **fantasticfan15:**_ **It sure is, so be prepared for that. Shit is definitely gonna go down. And uh oh, I hope it's still okay XD**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Hello! 1. I'm super happy to hear that and 2. I mostly update either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday (':**

 ** _Stargazer:_ Nah, you're fine (: and no problem at all. I absolutely love having the chance to reply to all your wonderful reviews. I still remember how they started off as small paragraphs, and now they're like twenty sentences long. Damn, I made that sound like that happened so ling ago XD but anyway, I tried to make the beginning heartfelt and serious and sad, so it looks like I succeeded. And Goddamn, I love it when Percy gets all violent like that. Don't worrying though, he'll be throttling Jordan soon enough. As for Percabeth, I loved writing that part. I had to make it so Percy was all confused with what he was feeling and end up so frustrated he just has to be there with her kissing and holding her and all that stuff. And oh gods, I was hoping you wouldn't get all suspicious that Percy made all of them go out there cause I just wanted to drop the bomb on all of you. I hate doing this to Annabeth cuz she's my fucking Queen and when she suffers, I suffer, but yeah. Her life is gonna get even more twisted from now on. Luke's come into play now...so let's see who wins. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, Kass, cause you deserve to be happy because you're such a wonderful and amazing person. Thank you so much for all you're kind words. Don't stare at that computer screen too long. Don't want you going blind on me (':**

 _ **Faulcram Tano:**_ **Thank you so very much! Happy to hear that you're enjoying this story so far ((: Hope you like this next update as well.**

 **Disclaimer: BY THE ANGEL, I OWN NOTHING**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I thought I was dreaming.

Every single part of this situation seemed to horrible to be real, too cruel. I thought that if I pinched myself I would wake up and I would be in bed, away from this horrid man. But the painful pounding in my head and stomach churning like a whirlpool was painful enough to have woken me up by now.

This wasn't a dream.

Luke's smile turned into a grin that once made my knees wobble, but now made me feel as if someone had just stuck a knife through my chest. It hurt.

"Hello, Annabeth," he greeted calmly, but I heard that malicious undertone in his voice. _I heard it._ "Miss me?"

My legs gave out beneath me, and I sank to the concrete I knew would've been cold, but I felt numb all over. I couldn't feel anything but the pounding of my heart against my rib cage and aching dizziness that overtook me. I couldn't speak, not even if I wanted to. My throat felt like it was being squeezed, like I was choking. I didn't want to utter a single word.

Luke frowned, and that's when I noticed the scar that ran from under his eye mid-way down his face. I swallowed hard. I never remembered seeing that on him before.

"You're not scared of me, are you?" He asked, as if the question was just like any other. But it wasn't. Not to me. He gave me a sly grin, one that made me shiver at once. "Perhaps another round with me will make you lose that feeling."

I was trembling, both with fear and rage. Tears were running freely down my face now. The dam had been broken again.

Percy's face was a mixture of confusion and anger, as were the others' faces as well. He glanced over at me, concern clouding his eyes. "Annabeth. Who is he? How does he know you-"

His eyes suddenly darkened abnormally, as if it was finally registering in his mind who this man was. An explosion of fury I had never seen on his face before washed over his features as he turned his head to glare fiercely at Luke. The expression was enough to make even Thalia and Reyna back away from him.

" _You,"_ he snarled lowly. It was just one word he spoke. But the word was filled with such hate and absolutely seething anger, even a smidge of uneasiness flashed in Luke's eyes.

"Percy-" Jason started.

But Percy was already lunging across the alley in such swiftness, he looked like just a blur. In seconds he had reached Luke and pinned him against the wall, punching him ruthlessly.

"Percy," I managed to croak out. I forced myself to my feet, watching in horror as Percy threw Luke to the floor as if he was a ragdoll and pounced on him, throwing punch after punch again.

As I listened closer, I could even hear Percy _growling._ He was being driven by only one emotion. The one that seemed to dominate his whole body the most; anger.

After staring in shock after a few moments, Jason and the others all rushed forward. Jason managed to grab one of Percy's arms while Thalia grabbed the other one. Percy snarled in response, spitting out words I couldn't make out. Bianca wrapped her arms around Percy's waist and all three of them dragged Percy off of Luke.

"Jason, let me go!" Percy shouted, his eyes ablaze. "All of you let me fucking _go!"_

They brought him back over to where they were standing before, and they finally let Percy go. Piper came over to him and muttered some words, and after a couple of seconds, he seemed to calm down a bit. Just a tiny amount.

Luke had gotten back on his feet, and I thought it was a miracle he was still alive after the beating Percy had given him. His lip was cut and blood was slowly dribbling down his chin. There was a slowly forming bruise in his jaw. But no matter how terribly beat up he looked, he held himself with a confidence and slyness that made me wish Percy would've killed him already. He should have.

My throat clogged up and tears ran down my face. I let loose a gasping sob, and I clutched my stomach tightly. This was all just a nightmare. A terrible, cruel nightmare.

One that was completely real.

Luke's eyes shifted to me, and I felt myself tense all over. Everytime he would look at me before, it'd look like he was slowly undressing me with simply his gaze. But this time, he stared at me blankly, no expression on his face whatsoever. That's what scared me the most.

"What the hell, Percy?" Jason asked, his eyes narrowed. "Why'd you attack him like that? Who the fuck _is_ that guy?"

Percy was breathing hard, his lips pulled back in a snarl I doubt he was even aware of.

"You motherfucking _asshole,"_ he growled at Luke. "You're the bastard who raped Annabeth."

I felt my breath catch in my throat, and I swallowed down another sob.

The others had baffled expressions on their faces, and I had expected Luke to look angry, but instead, he smirked.

"I guess you can call it rape," he said lightly. His eyes flickered over to me and slowly traced a path down my frame, that familiar look of hungriness flashing in his eyes. "And I'd gladly do it again."

Percy started to rush forward, a murderous expression on his face. Jason and Nico pulled him back, grabbing him by each arm firmly.

"Percy." Jason said. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Perhaps I should explain," Luke announced calmly, his blue eyes glinting with a look that I did not like. "I'm Luke Castellan. I used to be CEO of Hermes Express. I'm also Annabeth's ex-boyfriend." He gave a bone-chilling smile. "And the reason I've come is for her."

"You're not laying a fucking finger on her," Percy snarled, his green eyes dark.

"Wait a second," Leo frowned, his expression uncertain. "Hermes Express? Luke Castellan? Are you...are you that one son of Hermes that he exiled from the company?"

"So you have heard of me," Luke said, a sudden bitterness to his voice. "But yes, I'm Hermes Stoll's son. However, that's irrelevant right now. I've come for one person and one person only." He turned his icy blue eyes on me, his lips curled into a cold smile. "And that person is you, Annabeth."

In a few quick strides, Percy was in front of me, holding me protectively behind him and blocking me from Luke's view.

"Like I said before," he growled. "She's not going anywhere with you."

"Really?" Luke asked, a sort of sneer to his tone. "Not even when I want to show her where her mother is?"

I instantly went rigid at his words. Another sob built up my throat. Some part of me thought he was lying, but the other half of me dreaded the fact that he might be telling the truth.

"You're lying," Percy snapped, his tone firm and full of hatred and anger. "You don't know where she is. No one seems to know."

"Do you really believe that?" Luke asked mildly. "Jordan wouldn't tell you the truth, so here I am. Im all the answers you need."

The alley was dead silent for what seemed like hours. Hours pass hours of us just standing there, staring at Luke with a sense of anger and uneasiness. I didn't know what to believe at this point. All I wanted to do was sink a knife through Luke's chest and be done with him. I'd promised myself I'd never seen him again, but I should've known better than to make a promise. Promises are just lies in disguise.

"Luke," I forced the words out, trying hard to keep my voice steady. I stepped out from behind Percy, staring straight into those intense blue eyes I once adored. "If you're really telling the truth, then where is she?"

He smiled at me, and for a second, a flashback came to mind of him smiling at me the same way the first time I met him. When I'd been able to love.

"Oh, Annabeth," he said, shaking his head and clucking his tongue. "You should've never ran away from me. Couldn't you see how much I loved you? It broke my heart when I couldn't find you anymore. I wanted you to stay with me forever."

I clenched my jaw, forcing down any more sobs. "No, you didn't. You never loved me, Luke. You have no heart to be able to do that. Now answer my question. Where is my Mother?"

His eyes had flashed at my words, but just as quickly, his face was impassive once again, lips tilted into a smile. "I'll be glad to show you where she is. But you have to come with me." His eyes flickered over to the others and returned to me. "Alone."

"No." Percy said, his voice sharp. "Annabeth, no. He's lying. You can't trust him."

Luke laughed, the sound making my chest constrict. "Now I see what's going on." He looked at me incredulously. "Annabeth, have you moved on from me that quickly? You're now dating the number one most wanted man in America? Come on, Annie. I thought you were better than that."

Percy scoffed, his eyes ablaze. "Oh, and go with a rapist like you? I can definitely see how that's the better option."

"Stop it. Both of you," I said, surprised by how firm my voice sounded when all I wanted to do right now was break down sobbing. I took a shaky breath and turned to Luke. "I'm not sure whether to believe you or not anymore, Luke. You lost my trust a long time ago. Two years ago, in fact. And now that you're here, specifically right around the time when my Mother's been kidnapped, what do you think I'm supposed to think? Supposed to feel? I loved you once Luke, I'll tell you that. But now," I choked on my words. I shook my head softly, my eyes pooling with tears. "Now I want you to leave me the fuck alone and out of my life."

Luke's smile faded, his face contorting to one of startling sadness.

"Annabeth, you don't understand," he said softly, starting to take a step towards me. Percy was instantly grabbing me by the arm, pulling me against him.

Luke shook his head. "I didn't want to resort to doing what I did, Annabeth. I've always wanted you. Since the first night I laid eyes on you. You gave yourself to me, of course you did. But you never did it enough. You started to seem afraid of me, I noticed. I thought that maybe having sex with you one more time would make those feelings go away. I didn't want you to be scared of me. All I ever wanted was your love."

Tears streamed down my face, my throat burning. "Luke, stop _lying._ Im sick of all your fucking lies. You did scare me, Luke. You still do. That's why I left you. I loved you so much, Luke. You were so kind and gentle to me." A sob racked through my chest. "But my love never seemed enough for you. Stop saying you loved me, Luke. I know you never did."

The last part came out as a whisper, but I knew he'd heard. He clenched his jaw and reached out a hand as if to touch me, but brought his hand back hesitantly.

"And now I want you out of my sight," I said quietly.

His eyes stilled on me, a strange glint in them. They glinted with what seemed like remorse, but I knew that that was just a facade he was putting up. As if he regretted doing what he did to me. But I knew he loved it. He didn't regret a single act of his.

"If that's what you want," he said, stepping back a bit. I was so concentrated on his face, I never noticed his other actions. I wished I had. "Then we'll have to do things the hard way."

His hand had been creeping behind his back as he spoke, and right when he finished his sentence, there was a sudden flash of silver in the darkness. After that, I couldn't really process what seemed to happen.

Piper let out a sudden ear-piercing scream, and Thalia had shouted Percy's name.

Luke threw the silvery item that he had whipped out from behind towards Percy in frightening speed. I didn't even have the time to scream.

Jason and Nico and Leo were already running towards us, and I couldn't see Bianca anywhere.

But that was until I heard the feminine gasp that I turned around.

My heart felt as if it had stopped beating.

Bianca was crumpled on the floor in front of Percy, a knife embedded right in the middle of her chest, blood already soaking the front of her black T-shirt.

She had stepped in front of Percy and taken the knife.

Percy stared down at her in shock, his face deathly white.

" _No,"_ he whispered, sinking to his knees. "No."

Nico let out a guttural cry, his expression full of hatred as he turned to face Luke.

" _Im going to kill you!"_ he shouted, his voice full of so much anger, I had to resist flinching.

Luke glanced at me very quickly, giving me a wink. "I'll be coming for you soon, Annie."

And then he was gone.

Nico was breathing hard, staring after the disappearing figure of Luke.

Piper began to sob, and that seemed to break Nico out of his trance of anger. He turned to look down at his older sister's body, her breathing becoming more labored by the second.

"Bianca," he whispered, his eyes already gleaming. "Oh, Bianca, no."

Percy had propped her head up on his lap and gently removed the knife, staring down at Bianca's face with a mixture of anger and devastation on his face.

Piper was being held by Jason, her whole body shaking with every sob she let out. Thalia and Reyna were both crying silently, on their knees right by Bianca. Leo had sunken to the floor, shaking his head and muttering "no" over and over, tears running down his cheeks vigorously.

Nico knelt down next to Bianca, bringing out a hand to touch her almost hesitantly. When he brushed his fingertips over her hand, he began to sob.

Watching this whole scene, the blood spreading rapidly over Bianca's shirt and the color of her face slowly fading, I began to cry.

 _He told me I'd see my mother soon._

Thats what Hades had told Bianca. And he was right.

My legs gave out beneath me, and I sank down on the opposite side of Bianca's small body.

Percy stroked her face with such gentleness and brotherly love, it made me start to cry even harder.

"Oh, Bianca," he whispered, tears streaming down his pale face. "Why did you do that?"

"Because..." Bianca burst into a coughing fit, blood spilling out of her mouth and a few specks on Percy's face. He hardly seemed to notice, and if he did, he didn't care. He made no move to wipe his face, he just stared down at Bianca with a look of pain.

"Because he could've killed you," Bianca whispered, her voice raspy and breathy. "I didn't want you to die."

Percy shook his head, stroking hair out of Bianca's face. Tears spilled out of his eyes. "No, Bianca," he said quietly. "You should have let him. I'd prefer dying than having a world without you in it."

Bianca smiled gently at his words, her slowly dimming eyes shining. "Don't die, Percy," she said softly. "For me. Keep the others safe. I know that you will. You're the older brother I never had. Thank you. You're the bravest man I've ever known."

She coughed some more, and Nico softly shushed her, this time grabbing her hand in his own and running his thumb soothingly over it.

Bianca shifted her heavy-lidded eyes towards her brother. She reached out her other hand, cupping his face. "Nico," she said his name as if it were a prayer that would make all her dreams come true. I was praying that she would live.

"Make Daddy proud," she whispered. "I want...you to be h-happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you. Find yourself someone. Please. D-dont be alone. I love you, Neeks."

Nico managed a smile, blinking hard to get rid of the tears that would not go away. "I love you too, Bianca," he said quietly, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

"Piper, Reyna, Th-Thalia," Bianca whispered. "Take care of..the guys. Make sure they don't get themselves killed. Stay strong and dont be afraid to let your feelings show. I love you girls."

The three of them instantly broke down sobbing.

"L-Leo," Bianca shivered, and I watched with a pang as her chest rose and fell more slowly. "Don't be sad. I don't like seeing you sad. Keep being...you. I'll miss you."

Leo shook his head and pursed his lips, his eyes red as more tears spilled out.

"Jason..." Bianca whispered. "Thank you for always being there. For being a good leader. Take care of everyone. Help...Percy. P-please."

Jason nodded down at her, a sad and pained smile on his face.

Bianca slowly turned her head to face me. She began to talk, but instantly began to cough.

I shook my head, shushing her and blinking away the big, fat tears that blinded me. "You don't have to say anything, Bianca," I said softly. I reached out and stroked her cheek. "I already know."

She coughed. "Thank you for everything, Annabeth. You..don't know how...much you've helped me. Th-thank you."

I leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "You're so very welcome, Bianca."

She gripped my hand in her cold one, looking me straight in the eyes. "I want you t-to find love somewhere," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I know it's hard for you, but do it for me. You're so amazing. M-men don't know what.. they're missing..out on. Promise me."

I swallowed down a sob. The thing is, I wasn't sure if I could keep that promise.

"I promise," I whispered.

She looked up, and suddenly, her eyes were starting to look blank. She seemed to be staring at something that wasn't there. Something we couldn't see.

"You too, Percy," she said quietly.

He shook his head, crying harder. "I promise, princess."

She stared up for a while, breathing through her mouth, occasionally coughing.

"Did I make everyone proud?" She asked softly, her voice strange. She sounded dazed, as if she wasn't really talking to us, but I knew she still was.

I couldn't take it anymore, I let out a gasping sob, and I gripped her hand in mine. I managed a smile. "Yes you did," I whispered, kissing her hand. "You made everyone very proud of you. All on your own."

She smiled, her lips spotted with blood. "That's...that's all I've ever wanted."

She suddenly let out a soft gasp, and she tried hard to reach a hand up towards the sky, towards something that wasn't there.

"Look, Nico.." she whispered, smiling in wonder. "I see Mommy..."

And as she stared up at the night sky with a smile on her face, the life faded out of her eyes.

* * *

I sat in the uncomfortable chair of the waiting room, my whole body shaking.

We had called The Olympians' hospital for an ambulance right after Bianca had stopped breathing. We were praying, hoping that by some miracle she would be alive.

The minutes seemed to pass by slower than anything in the world. Each time the clock ticked was another minute that Bianca might lose her chance of surviving.

Nico was crying quietly across the room, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head over and over. Percy was staring down at the white, ugly floor with a look of such intense pain, I felt hurt just glancing at him.

The girls were all crying hysterically, Thalia more subtle than Reyna and Piper. Jason held both Thalia and Piper by his side, clutching them tightly while letting out tears as well. Leo had enveloped Reyna into his chest, and the dark-haired girl had the front of his T-shirt fisted in her hands, clinging and sobbing into his chest. Leo stroked her hair, shushing her quietly as he cried silently as well.

We were all praying she would make it out alive.

After I'd seen the life faded out of her eyes, I'd gone rigid all over. I'd started to shake, and I hadn't been able to stop. I was still shivering as if standing outside in the middle of winter.

Hours seemed to pass by, every minute dragging on for an excessive amount. It seemed as if we'd been there for six hours already, each hour with no news of how Bianca was. But it hadn't been six hours that passed when Will Solace came to give us the news; it had been thirty minutes.

It was too quick. I would've preferred at least three hours for them to have tried to heal Bianca. They couldn't have just taken one look at her and said she was hopeless. But I'd seen that wound. That knife had implanted itself deep in her chest. She'd lost more blood than I'd like to think about. We should've called an ambulance right away, no matter which hospital we called. But we'd been too shocked to react. Too shocked on the fact that Bianca might die.

But now those thirty minutes had passed, and Will Solace appeared in the entrance of the waiting room.

I'd been hoping for the best. I'd hoped he'd come in with that usual easy smile of his. I'd hoped that he'd tell us that Bianca was going to be fine. I'd hoped for the best.

But my hopes let me down once again.

None of that happened.

Instead, Dr. Solace had no smile on his face, replaced by a sad frown and dim glow in his usually bright eyes. He said nothing to us. His expression said it all. Will Solace cast his eyes to the floor and shook his head.

I felt as if the air had been ripped out of my lungs.

I wanted it to be a dream. A horrible nightmare.

But hearing the wail of a cry Piper let out, watching as Nico broke down sobbing and Will wordlessly wrapping him up in a comforting hug, and being able to feel that intense wave of pain flare up inside me confirmed it.

It was all real.

Bianca di Angelo was dead.

* * *

Percy and I walked into Bianca's room, both our feet seeming as they were made of stone. A white sheet was pulled over Bianca's body, along with her face. My heart pounded hard against my chest, and an intense wave of pain drowned all my other thoughts and feelings.

Percy's jaw was clenched hard, tears shining in his eyes, making them look like real orbs made out of the ocean itself. His face was full of heartbreak, and the look just made me want to start crying all over again.

Percy gently reached out and pulled away the sheet just enough to see Bianca's face.

I almost choked on a sob.

Her face was deathly white, and I didn't even have to touch her to know she was cold. Her eyes were shut delicately, as if at any moment she might open them and find life again. She looked like an angel, the sort of dark angel with shadow-dark hair and frosty white skin.

Percy shook his head, pressing his lips tightly together. "This is all my fault," he whispered, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

"No, it's not, Percy," I said quietly.

I reached out a hand and clasped his in my own, wrapping my fingers around his cold ones. He wasn't looking at me, he was staring at Bianca with a sudden look of anger and resentment that I knew wasn't directed towards her; it was directed towards himself.

"Yes, it is," he said through clenched teeth. He still didn't look at me. "If I hadn't sent us all out there and believed I would get answers..." He shook his head. "Bianca would still be alive."

I gave his hand a squeeze, blinking back tears. "If Bianca hadn't a stepped in front of you once he threw that knife, you would be dead."

"She shouldn't have," Percy said bitterly, his voice hoarse and harsh. "She should've let him throw that knife at me. She should've stayed where she was and let me die instead."

"Percy, don't say that," I choked out. "You know perfectly well that Bianca wouldn't have been able to live with you dead."

"I should've killed him when I had the chance," he growled, his eyes flashing. "I should've pulled out my own knife and planted it in his eye."

He spoke with so much anger and resentment, it made me wince. Percy had first blamed himself for Silena and Beckendorf's death. But with Bianca now dead, I knew he'd be controlled by his own anger and sadness. I couldn't let that happen to him. He'd break even more than he already has.

"I should've gone with him," I whispered, clenching both my hands. "Luke wouldn't have meant to kill you if I'd gone with him."

"To do what, exactly?" Percy snapped, finally turning to look at me. "To rape you again?" I flinched, and Percy's face softened. He cupped my face gently with one hand. "Annabeth, none of us knew where he wanted to take you or what he wanted to do to you. How did we know he was saying the truth about knowing where your Mother is? And how are you so sure that he wouldn't have pulled that knife out on me even if you agreed? There were too many risks. I'd rather have him kill me than you agreeing to go with him."

I was crying now. "But why did he do that? Why did he want to kill you? You've never even met him before."

Percy's eyes narrowed. "No, I've never met him before. But I know who he is. He'd been the CEO of Hermes Express, which was a side company Hermes own about two years ago. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but Hermes ended up firing Luke from the enterprise. None of us have heard of him since. But now he's back, and he seems intent on coming after you and killing me."

He leaned forward and gave me a kiss. He pulled back, both his hands on my face now. His face was an artwork of cuts and blood, and various scars from past events. His eyes were full of sadness and blazing anger, broken to no beyond. But he still looked as gorgeous as ever.

"If I ever see him again," he whispered dangerously, "I will not hesitate to kill him in every way possible for the sake of you, The Olympians, and Bianca."

* * *

The others went to visit Bianca after we came back, going two at a time. Even Bianca's father had come.

Hades had stepped into the waiting room, his face even more pale than it usually was. He looked so distressed and worried, and he'd came in demanding if Bianca was okay.

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell him his daughter was dead. I couldn't tell him it was my fault she'd died. Percy had taken the initiative to break the news to Hades. The man had bolted to Bianca's room once Percy finished talking.

We'd gone home around three hours later. Nico has stayed at the hospital with his father, his eyes rimmed with tears and so red he looked as if is eyes were bleeding. The thought made me swallow hard.

I couldn't bear it. No matter what Percy said, some part of me nagged at myself for not going with Luke. Maybe he would've left Percy alone. Maybe Bianca wouldn't have had to step in front of Percy to save him. Maybe Bianca would still be alive.

We'd all gone into our own rooms, each of us eerily silent. We were all drained. Too much had happened in the past five hours. We couldn't even form a sentence.

I'd changed into my pajamas with robotic movements, each part of my body feeling as if it were being weighed down with the heaviest bricks in the world. I felt as if my heart had dropped to my stomach, too heavy with burden to hold itself in place.

I couldn't sleep, the scene of Bianca dropping to the floor with a knife embedded in her chest replaying over and over in my head, like a scratched up disc that repeated the same scene in a movie over and over again. This was a horror movie.

Fed up with it, I'd snuck into Percy's room. I wanted to be there with him. I needed to be there to comfort him and reassure him that this wasnt his fault.

He had the covers up to his waist, his bare chest in my view once I came in. His eyes were closed, but once I'd closed the door and walked up to the bed, he was wide awake.

"Annabeth," he whispered, reaching out a hand. "What's wrong?"

I crawled into bed next to him, letting his strong arms wrap around me and pull me close.

"I couldn't sleep," I whispered, blinking back tears.

He nuzzled his head next to mine, stroking my hair. "That's okay," he said quietly. He planted a kiss on my temple. "I don't think any of us can."

I pulled back just enough so I could see his face and eyes. His green orbs looked like a light shade of blue under the light of the silvery moon that crept into the room.

"Could you?" I asked, swallowing.

His arms tightened around me. "No."

I leaned my head onto his hard chest, his heart beating slow and steady in my ears. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

His fingers had slipped under my shirt and began tracing patterns on my skin. His touch was comforting. "Of course," he said breathily.

He sank back onto the covers, bringing me down with him. He wrapped both arms around me protectively, my head right under his chin. His skin was cold under my touch, but a warmth somehow seeped out of it, making me feel safe for the first time that night.

"I'm here," he whispered quietly, nuzzling his chin on my head. "You're safe. We're safe."

I turned my head and planted a soft kiss on his throat, right where his pulse was. He ran his hands slowly and soothingly down my back, and soon enough, my eyelids started to get heavy.

Then I fell asleep. And this time, no movies played in my mind.

* * *

 **~Kat**


	38. Chapter 37

**...** ** _is it safe?_**

 **Hey guys! *Dodges bowling balls and grenades and Greek fire* How are you all? Hehe...not so happy, I'm guessing. So sorry for making you all cry last chapter. It just has to be done. Trust me, I had to struggle so hard deciding whether or not to cause her to die, but in the end, it had to be done. Again, I'm sorry. I wanted to cry too. There will be a lot more crying in this story, so get your buckets ready.**

 **AND OH MY GODS, WE REACHED 400 REVIEWS AND 200 FOLLOWERS, YOU GUYS! THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH! YOU'RE ALL SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING! I LOVE YOU ALL ≤333**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **No problem at all, Kass. And I'm so sorry! I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me if I'm being honest. But I'm sorry. Like I said, I weighed the option of causing her to die, and I was so sad writing that part. And oh no! Pretty soon the cops are gonna come after me demanding why the fuck I'm making so many people break down crying XD but well, I'll expect it. And Luke is such an asshole. He's going to cause much more things that will piss you off and make you cry. Again, thank you for everything. Your kind words are what keep me going and just doing better and better as a writer. So thank you so much ≤33**

 _ **WizardHalfBloodGeek:**_ **Thank you so much! I'm glad you love this story. And I guess I'm giving you a love/hate feeling, so I'm sorry. So very sorry. And I'll see what I can do!**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **Im sorry! I swear to the gods that I didn't want to. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. But yes, I had to add Percy trying to kill Luke cuz I think that pleased you guys. And your, "don't do anything stupid" comment made me laugh so hard for some reason. Im just saying, I'm not making any promises. I love you too xxxxxxxx**

 _ **Anon:**_ **Im sorry! And you have no idea how true that sentence is. Poor Bianca. But I'm sorry, it had to be done. And oh, Im sorry, I didn't know. I use that word as a substitute for 'eyes' because as a writer, I don't like repeating the same word over and over again because to me, I just don't like it. So, I use that word. I'm sorry. I'll try to use it less? I'll look up another word to say eyes (: and if I do use it again, I'm so sorry. And nah. I'd only do that if you were one of those commentors that want the story to be the way they want it. But don't worry, I'll keep it to using that word at least twice a chapter.**

 _ **julia:**_ **Thank you so much! I can't say my age, but I'll just say that I'm in my early teens (; and also, I update Wednesday or Thursday or Friday. One of those days. So just keep checking on those days :3**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Oh gods..I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you guys cry (maybe I did) but I'm sorry. I loved Bianca's character in this too, and I was happy the way her character came out. I tried to make her bonds with Annabeth and Percy and Nico the most interesting, because I meant to hit you guys hard. And Percy... he's going through a lot. Losing three members and blaming himself for all their deaths? That's hard. And yes, I tried to make that part as emotional as possible. Because even Bianca noticed that these two need love in their lives to keep them going. Without it, she knew it will destroy them. And you'll see ((: Wow...great way to let your emotions out. I'm sure everyone hates Luke even though he's barely been introduced so... I don't know how much hate you guys will feel for him cuz he's sure as hell coming back, sadly. And yep. Bianca was wiser than she seemed. She knows Percy will keep that big family together and protect them if it's the last thing he does. She gets it (: and I hope you'll be fine. I don't want you not to be cause well, that will be bad. Hopefully you like this chapter, and thank you so much ≤33 Bianca will be avenged, just watch (;**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ ***Gasps* How'd you know? Lmao, just kidding. No actually, I woke up late for my bus, and that really pissed me off, so that's why I wrote that devastating chapter :D Just kidding, well, not the bus part but the other part. I'd already planned this, but I didn't think I'd have to upload it in my birthday, so I'm very sorry. Happy birthday to me?...haha... anyway, I'm sorry. It just had to happen. And yeah..they were in shock at the moment and didnt know what the fuck to do. But thanks again. I hope you enjoy this chapter... ≤33**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Im sorry...It had to be done. And who'd you scare that shit out of? Don't cry!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thanks! And oh my gods, your review made me laugh so hard. No, that's not how we celebrate birthdays where I'm from, but I was just in the mood with destroying people's sense of joy :D cause you know, why not? And no, I totally deserve it. That was a bitch move, even by my standards. I'm so sorry. Didn't mean to hit you guys so hard, but I guess I did. Whoops. Hope you like this chapter and it doesn't crush your heart to a million pieces again :3**

 _ **Lil Cutie 02:**_ **Thank you! And I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. Tysm! ≤33**

 _ **CaptainPokemon01:**_ **Woah, you're the first one who's said that they're glad that Jordan caused a death. But I mean, you have your opinions. I'm upset Bianca does too )): and thank you!**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **It was, wasn't it? I'm sorry. And thank you (: I try my best.**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **You know what? That would've been a great alternative to that chapter. But Annabeth was too overwhelmed with the fact that Luke Castellan, her ex that raped her, was actually there. I mean, I wouldn't be able to move either. But yeah. Your thoughts about her wanting to leave even more now actually gave me an idea. So thank you ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ ***Sighs sadly* yes, she did. Thank you so much though! You're so kind. And I'm so sorry! She will be avenged though. You'll see ((: Tysm! ≤33**

 _ **Chazzadagazza:**_ **Im glad it did! I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Im so sorry! I'm sure we all wanna find Luke and kill him in every way possible. I'm so sorry, but it had to be done. As for your questions. The first one, I'll just say that remember that Hermes is Luke's dad. If your parents made you the boss of a company, you know they'd still have control over you and authority cuz well, they're your parents. You'll find out more details about that later in the story. As for Hades knowing that Bianca was going to die, he just felt it, you know? It was one of those gut- feelings that you hate but know is going to happen. And the last one, I'm sure Annabeth will ask about that too (; I'll try to give you a happy chapter, and I'm so sorry that you just went through a breakup. Those are the worst. But I'll try my best to loft your spirits.**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Even if you always say that, it always warms my heart. Any words of encouragement are all I need, whether they're repeated over and over again or not. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter x**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im sorry, love, it had to happen. And thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter ≤33**

 _ **Istar144:**_ **There was, wasn't there? And you were! Good job for guessing correctly. I'm loving the hashtags but the way ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry. But also, I wanted to make that scene as sad as possible, and looks like I've succeeded. Guess I should expect a lot of tears to come. Hopefully I won't make you cry anymore, but I won't make any promises...**

 _ **DemonicKilljoy:**_ **Wow, thank you so much. It's been my goal to make my readers feel a mix of emotions, but Im amazed my story can actually make my readers even _feel_ emotions. Im so glad you're enjoying this story. Thank you for your kind words. You don't know how much they support me. You're so very welcome. And thank _you_ for all your words of encouragement.**

 **You are all so amazing and I'm surprised you guys are still reading this now that I made you all break down sobbing and have basically crushed your hearts. So... thanks ≤33**

 **Disclaimer: Bianca just died and you're you're asking me to excuse myself? Fuck you. I don't own anything.**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I woke up feeling dazed.

Never before had I felt so disoriented. I felt lost. Hopeless. Absolutely devastated.

It was about seven in the morning. I sat up, suddenly feeling sticky and hot. Percy was sleeping soundly beside me, one arm laid around my waist. I sighed, reaching out a hand to stroke his hair.

He looked so peaceful. So calm and safe. I didn't want to wake him. I wanted him to keep that look on his face always, not that usual scowl he wore and broken look in his eyes.

I numbly and quietly slipped out of the bed, leaning over and giving Percy a soft kiss on his temple.

Then I walked out of the room.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was getting into the shower.

I felt hot and uncomfortable. I felt like I was encased in flames and needed to cool off. Once I'd gotten in the shower, I noticed the small specks of blood on my arms. The water washed it off, running down the drain like a red river.

Watching that, I felt myself start to shake all over. I couldn't anymore. That was Bianca's blood. The one that had been soaking her shirt.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep myself in control, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own. I gasped and sank down onto the floor of the shower. I began to cry. The water that sprayed overhead dampened my hair, making it hang over my face like a curtain.

I shook my head. Bianca's death was all my fault. I knew I should've made a backup plan and a backup plan for that backup plan. But I knew no plan could've prevented what had happened.

I should've gone with Luke. Maybe he would've shown me where my Mother was. Maybe he would've led me elsewhere. Maybe he would've killed me on the spot. Maybe he wouldn't have had to kill anyone if I'd just gone with him.

 _If that's what you want,_ he'd said. _Then I'll have to do it the hard way._

I had to leave. I was the cause of all The Olympians' problems. Zeus was right. Ever since I'd shown up, things have been going wrong. Now I knew why.

Luke was a part of all this. He was working for the same group that killed Silena and Beckendorf and attacked HQ. For all I knew, he could even be the leader.

And now he was after me.

But why? It's been two years. Two years since I'd left him. Two years since he's raped me. After doing that, I'd think he'd have enough sense to know that I wanted nothing to do with him. But Luke is a monster. He wouldn't care what I'd think, what I'd want. He'd just want me for his benefit, and his only.

I cried even harder, my body convulsing with every gasp I took. Water began to cost my body, dripping off of it like the blood that's been dripping off everyone.

I had to leave. I needed to leave. If I stayed, I'd just cause more deaths. More problems. More tragedies.

Luke would come after Percy too. I'd seen that look on his face when he'd realized Percy and I were together. He thought I loved Percy.

He was wrong. I cared about Percy, but I did not love him. And now just caring for him was putting him at risk of being killed. Guess I couldn't feel anything towards anyone anymore.

I sank my fingers into my hair, sobbing and shaking my head. This was all so wrong. So horrible. I thought I could wash all my feelings and problems away, but nothing seems to like to cooperate with me. The universe didn't want me to be happy and calm.

My Mother was gone. Bianca was gone. Melissa was gone. My Father was gone. Bobby and Matthew were gone. Pretty soon I'd be gone too.

Three knocks sounded on the door, making me jump.

"Annabeth? Annabeth, are you in there?"

Percy.

No, he had to leave. He had to leave me alone. If he went anywhere near me, I'd just make him hurt too.

But Percy had his own problems too. He'd just lost the little sister he never had. He lost his mother too. Percy needed someone to be there for him. Someone to reassure him that all of this was not his fault. Him blaming himself would only be the end for him. I had to be there for him, no matter how much I wanted to leave.

I heard the shaking of a doorknob, and a few moments later, I heard it open. I heard footsteps approaching the shower, and it didn't cross my mind that I wasn't decent. But I didn't care. I knew it was Percy.

The shower curtain was drawn back hastily, and soon enough the door was drawn back too.

I began to sob again.

Percy looked down at me with an expression of pure concern.

"Annabeth," was all he said before reaching to turn off the shower. The sound of the water no longer drowned out my stifled sobs. He reached down to stand me up, his green eyes only focused on my face.

My legs were shaking, my whole body was, but Percy stood me up nonetheless. He reached for the cabinet doors beside the shower and pulled out a towel, wrapping me safely in it.

He brought me out of the shower, water dripping from my body and creating a puddle on the floor.

"Annabeth, what were you doing in there?" He asked, his voice full of distress. "When I woke up and didn't see you there I was so worried. What's wrong?"

I swallowed and shook my head, water droplets flying all around. "Percy I can't. This is all my fault. Ever since I'd shown up everything has been going wrong. And-and now Bianca is dead and I can't take it anymore. I need to leave. I'll just bring more deaths to come if I stay-"

Percy grabbed me by each side of my head, staring directly into my eyes. "No, Annabeth. Don't say that. You know that's not true."

I wasn't sure if it was water running down my face or tears, but I felt it. "Yes it is, Percy! I-I can't stay here. Luke will come after you and kill you, Percy. I can't have that happen."

Percy's eyes hardened, but I knew his sudden anger wasn't directed towards me. "How are you so sure? How do you know I won't kill him first? Annabeth, you can't keep doing this to yourself. Don't blame yourself for something you know wasn't your fault. Luke's causing all of this to break you even more, Annabeth. He already made you feel weak once. Don't let him do it again. Please."

We stared at each other for a while, keeping our eyes locked together. His green eyes were piercing, intimidating. They were filled with anger and sorrow, that resentful look in them still visible. I could see my reflection in them, distant. My hair was wet and plastered flat to each side of my face, a loose strand taped across my forehead and cheek. I looked scared, sad, tired. All of that I could see in those eyes of his.

I took a shaky breath. "I won't."

Percy seemed to let out a breath, as if something inside him had melted. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed me tightly against him. He laid his cheek on the top of my head, keeping me in his embrace. He was still bare chested, I now noticed. He must've bolted straight out of his room when he noticed I wasn't there.

He pulled back slowly, still keeping both arms around me. He brought a hand up to brush away the damp string of hair that was plastered on my face.

"I'm going to visit Jordan," he said quietly, his eyes suddenly flashing with anger.

"I'm going with you," I said, the words coming out of my mouth almost automatically.

Percy hesitated. I knew he wanted to tell me that I couldn't, it was too dangerous. But he should know by now that I don't take no for an answer.

"All right," he said, stroking my cheek. "Get ready now. We're leaving as soon as possible."

I nodded. "Okay. But..." I felt my lips tugging for a small smile. "I'm going to have to take another shower. I didn't even clean myself when I was in there."

Percy chuckled softly, but there was a sadness in his eyes that let me know that his heart wasn't in it. "Okay. I'll be downstairs."

He stared at me for another moment, his eyes tracing every inch of my face, as if trying to memorize every detail of it. He gave me a soft kiss on the lips, and then he was gone.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, I was out of the shower and fully dressed in black leggings, a gray tank top, and gray wedged sneakers. I was in no mood to dress myself like I normally would, wearing platform heels and some dress. My heart wasn't in for it.

I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and went to meet Percy downstairs.

When I got to the entrance, he was staring blankly at the floor, a look of pain on his face. He was thinking of her. Thinking of Bianca.

I bit the inside of my cheek hard. I hated seeing him like this. Lost and angry at the same time. It made him look so vulnerable, a side I'd never thought I'd see on Perseus Jackson.

He finally look up when I neared him, and suddenly, the look of vulnerability was gone replaced by that guarded and carefree demeanor of his. He tried for a smile, but it looked so weak and strained, I wanted to tell him to stop. It wasn't worth trying to hide what you were feeling. That would just bring you even more misery.

He produced one of those cups of yogurt and a packet of granola, handing them both to me.

"Quick breakfast," he said. "We'll come back soon and you can eat whatever you want then."

I tried for a smile. So much for trying to hide what you were feeling. "This is fine. Thanks."

He nodded. He patted the side of his front pocket, as to reassure what I knew was his gun was there. I'd slipped my dagger from it's place inside my nightstand, where I'd placed it the night before. I had snuck it inside my bag, because now I knew that I had to carry that thing with me everywhere, as if it were the one thing in my life I needed most. I almost laughed. A weapon over the people I care about. Guess a weapon couldn't hurt and fuck up my emotions like caring about someone could.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded, already feeling my blood pumping inside my body.

Percy opened the door, and we both stepped outside. As we began to walk towards the garage out back, a soft cool wing brushed over me, raising the hairs on my arms. I shivered. Maybe I should've worn a sweater.

Percy caught the movement from the corner of his eye, and he raised an eyebrow at me. "You wanna go back inside to change that shirt?"

I gripped the packet of granola in my hand. "No, I'm fine. It's just the early morning air. It'll get warmer later on."

He nodded, pursing his lips.

"What are we riding in, anyway?" I asked, peering at him.

"In one of the cars." He answered, staring at the garage as we approached it. "It wouldn't be safe riding on one of the motorcycles. Plus, you'd probably get pneumonia by the time we get there."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

A smile teased his lips, the first genuine reaction of humor I'd seen from him so far. He reached inside one of the inside pockets of his leather jacket, producing some keys. There were like, so of them on there, but he picked out the second to last one and stuck it in the keyhole of the door to the garage. He twisted it, and then we were in.

Percy went straight to one of the black sleek cars he had lined up right at the front of the garage. He unlocked the doors and soon enough, we were driving towards the city.

My stomach started to rumble softly, causing a slight vibration inside me. I pursed my lips and reached into my bag, pulling out the can can of yogurt and granola. I opened it up and then frowned.

"How am I supposed to eat this?" I asked Percy.

His eyes flickered over to me and then back to the road. "There should be some plastic spoons in that little door." He pointed to the one in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow and pulled on the little handle, and sure enough, there was a little packet of plastic spoons.

I took one out, planting it in my cup of yogurt. "Why do you have spoons in here?"

A hint of a smile ghosted over Percy's lips, but they never stretched to form one. "Thalia usually rides in this car. I guess she eats a lot in here and put the spoons there."

A smile seemed to try hard to tug on my lips too, but it never came. I opened the packet of granola and sprinkled it in the cup, mixing it around. I ate the yogurt slowly, my stomach knotting too much that if I ate even at a normal rate, I felt as if I woul throw up.

Percy kept his eyes on the road, but he looked as if he were staring at something else, the way Bianca had when she looked up at the sky before she died.

I felt tears burning in my eyes, and I forced them away. I couldn't do this. Not now. I can't keep breaking down in random moments. I had to keep calm.

But keeping calm didn't prevent the events from last night to flash through my mind. When Percy attacked Luke in such swiftness it looked like he was just a blur. Pinning him to the ground and throwing him to the floor like he weighed nothing. The others rushing forward to pull him back as he screamed and growled. Piper going up to him and softly whispering something to him. Percy's anger subsiding the slightest.

I frowned. I swirled the spoon in my yogurt, my stomach churning as if instead of swirling the yogurt, I was swirling my stomach instead.

"What...what did Piper tell you?" I asked hesitantly, my voice quiet. "After you'd attacked Luke and the others came to pull you back, Piper came up to you and whispered something. Her words seemed to have calmed you down a bit."

Percy's hands clenched the wheel, his knuckles turning white. He was quiet for a while, his eyes more focused now as he stared at the road. Finally, he spoke.

"Piper has a way with words," he said, his voice dull. "She knows exactly what to say to make you feel a certain way. She told me..." The muscles in his jaw tightened. "She told me to look at you. To look at how scared you were. She said that right now, killing the guy wouldn't help anyone. I had to be there for you and help you get over your fear of him before he died. If not, you'd live a life dominated by your fear of him. So I didn't kill him."

I felt my throat constrict, my mouth suddenly dry. My hand tightened around the cup of yogurt, the white substance rising to the top from the pressure.

Percy finally looked at me, his face emotionless, eyes dead. "Was she right?" He asked quietly.

My throat burned, and I forced myself to swallow. "Yes." My voice was barely above a whisper.

Percy's eyes remained on me for a while, never glancing to look at the road. I stared down at my lap, at the cup of yogurt in my hand, at the gleaming white spoon dug into the white substance.

"How much did you love him, Annabeth?" He asked softly.

I took a soft inhale of breath, almost choking on the air. Tears burned in my eyes. "So much, Percy. So much it hurt."

I glanced up to see Percy's eyes on the road once again, filled with an emotion I couldn't pin down.

"Did he ever love you?" He questioned.

I blinked back tears. "He says he did. He always told me he did. That he still does. I believed him once. Not anymore."

His eyes found mine, serious and angry but soft at the same time. "But did he?"

I tried to hold his gaze, but those piercing eyes of his made my eyes move on their own accord. They shifted towards my feet, set almost numbly against the dark carpet of the car.

"What Luke felt for me..." I started, feeling my chest constrict. "It was always a mix of emotions. Sometimes he'd be gentle with me, as if I was a newborn baby he was holding in his arms. Other times he'd be so cruel and rough. He treated me like I was his toy. A toy for him to touch, control, do whatever he wanted with. I was so stupid to let him treat me like that. But I was blinded from my love for him. Always have been."

A single tear slid down my cheek, wet and as soft as the pedal of a flower. "But I believe he did love me at one time. But he abused that love. He turned it to his advantage. He'd tell me he loved me, and he used those words to cloud every thought inside my head and follow after him like a balloon on a string he held in his hand. In his possession." I pursed my lips and bit my lip. "I took the word love so seriously. Ever since Tristan had broken my heart, I'd seen Luke as the one man that would fix it, mend it back together with his own care. Every single day, those three words would leave his lips as he stared at me, those blue eyes of his staring straight at me. An endless void in them. And hidden way in the back, a dangerous cold that I could not see. I was blinded by love. Love for him."

Percy kept quiet, his face masked with a look of sadness, anger, and pain. I wiped the tear away from my cheek, and was surprised to feel that no more came. The dam built itself right back up.

Percy's hand suddenly clasped around mine, icy cold but filled with warmth. He gave it a squeeze, and I looked up to see that his eyes were not on me, but the road.

"Bianca was right," he said quietly. "Men don't know what they're missing out on. Luke doesn't know what a beautiful and amazing girl he abused." His eyes flickered over to me, the fire in his them causing my breath to catch. His voice was soft when he spoke. "He's an idiot for ever treating you like that. For ever abusing the unconditional love you gave him."

I bit the inside of my cheek, tears pooling in my eyes at his words. Tears I know would not fall.

"Thank you, Percy," I whispered, smiling gratefully at him. This man was truly something. Women didn't know what they were missing out on either. A man that took the phrase, "I would kill anyone for you," like it was the one thing in the world he had his mind set on doing. A man that showed the right amount of respect towards a woman. A man that knew what boundaries to cross and not to cross. A man who's touch could set your whole body on fire and make you forget all your problems. A man who's words were honest till no end and looked you in the eyes as he spoke. A man that truly cared for you. A man who's simple and small actions let you know you were falling for him. Percy Jackson was this man.

"Rachel was stupid for ever abusing your love as well," I said softly, keeping my eyes on his.

His smile turned sad, and he brought my hand up to his lips and gave the back of my hand a gentle kiss, so soft it was almost like he simply brushed his lips over my skin. But that small brush of lips set the inside of my body ablaze.

* * *

The rest of the ride was filled with silence, comfortable silence. Percy kept my hand gripped in his, running his thumb over my knuckles repeatedly and soothingly.

I ended up finishing the yogurt, the growling hunger of my stomach dominating the feeling of nausea inside me. I'd left half of the packet of granola filled, handing it to Percy. The crunch of the food was the only noise that filled the car.

"What are you going to do to him?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence. His face remained emotionless.

"Kill him." He replied, the phrase as simple and easy as "thank you."

Half an hour later, we arrived at a rundown-looking warehouse, the metal framing the building fading and smudged. Percy parked the car, turning off the engine, all the while not taking his eyes off the building.

"All right," he said, setting his jaw. "Let's go."

Percy's arm was slipped in it's familiar place around my waist, pressing my body close to his. Heat radiated off him in waves, warming up my whole body, making me immune to the cool wisps of air that brushed along my skin.

He pressed his hand to a padlock in the side of the metal door, the red line scanning his hand up and down. It beeped, and something clicked inside the door. Percy pushed it open and he pulled me in with him, the door shutting behind us with a bang.

From the outside the building had looked deserted and old, but the inside was filled with people and looked like a regular building. People milled around, rushing to and from different hallways, out and into doors, and up and down staircases.

Once the door had opened and Percy and I had stepped in, the people had gone quiet, their attentive and alert eyes staring straight at us. I heard some take soft intakes of breath, or the whisper of either "Riptide" or "Annabeth Chase" echo through the warehouse.

Percy's eyes were hard and cold, the look of authority on him almost effortless. "Where's Winged Thief?" He inquired, his voice sharp.

Immediately, index fingers flew in the direction towards the back of the warehouse, towards a hallway that was dimly lit.

Percy's eyes followed the direction, and then he nodded. "Go back to what you were doing," he ordered, his voice smooth and cold.

At this, the people began to move around again, some pausing to stare a little longer before rushing off again.

Percy gripped my hand in his and pulled me in the direction where the others had pointed. He led me down a series of corridors and narrow hallways before coming to a stop in front of a room with a plaque labeling it, Monitoring Room C.

He wordlessly pushed it open and stepped inside, bringing me with him.

Inside the room were three figures. One was slimmer and smaller than the other two, presumably a woman. The other two were obviously men, one slightly taller than the other.

Once Percy shut the door behind us, they tore their eyes from the monitor they were watching and looked at us.

The woman was about my age, with a petite frame and eyes the color of the stem of a flower. Her warm brown hair was woven into a French braid, flowers nestled into the braid, making it seem as if the flowers were growing out of her hair. She wore olive colored skinny jeans and a flowing yellow tank top with a daisy painted in the middle. Brown strap-on sandals wrapped around her feet.

The men both had chestnut colored hair, curly and wispy. Their eyes were a blue I knew too well. The taller man's blue eyes were darker, while the slightly shorter one had sky blue eyes. But that mischievous twinkle both their eyes carried made me recognize them instantly.

I'd seen them before.

After all, they were Luke's half-brothers.

Their eyes focused on me, the devilish smile on their lips sliding off once they got a good look at me.

"Annabeth," Travis said, a startled expression on his face.

Connor's eyebrows crinkled, and he frowned. "Shit. It is her."

Percy and the woman's faces were filled with confusion.

"You know her?" The woman asked.

Travis clenched his jaw, a look of sympathy flashing across his face. "Of course we do," he replied, his voice quiet. "She was almost our sister-in-law."

I felt my throat constrict. I bit the inside of my cheek, hard. "They're Luke's half-brothers. I remember them," I whispered softly.

Percy's face was troubled, and realization settled upon his features. "That's right," he said, voice strained. "Hermes is Luke's father too."

Connor shook his head sadly. "Oh, Annabeth. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that bastard. What you went through..." He ran a hand through his curly hair. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

I swallowed. "It's fine. I'm away from him now."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me. "How do you know them?"

I bit my tongue. "I've never met them before, but I know who they are. I've seen pictures of them from some that Luke had hidden in his room."

Travis clucked his tongue, his eyes flashing with resentment. "I wonder why that asshole would have pictures of us in his room. He's hated us our whole lives."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Travis sighed. "Before Connor and I were born, our father had been married to May Castellan. They'd had Luke, and about five years later, May had gotten sick. She'd died, and Hermes had then found our mother. Luke lived with us, and he hated it, and us." He chuckled dryly. "Luke may seem like a charming and nice guy at first, but it's only when you get to know him that he starts to show you how much of a dick he is."

My voice came out in a whisper. "I know."

The room was filled with an uncomfortable and tense silence, all because one name was spoken. That name was Luke Castellan.

The woman cleared her throat and smiled at me cheerfully, her green eyes warming like flowers blooming in spring. The gesture comforted me.

"Well, my name is Katie. It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Chase," she said, thrusting out a hand to shake.

I offered her a smile and shook her hand. "Pleasure's all mine. And please, call me Annabeth."

Percy shifted his eyes to Travis and Connor. "Did you do what I'd asked?"

They both nodded. "Jordan led us to six different cameras set up around the warehouse. We destroyed them all," Travis replied.

Percy's eyes narrowed. "You sure he led you to all of them?"

Connor nodded. "We choked it out of him. Literally."

Travis smirked. "At first he'd only led us to three of them, but once we'd cut him in the right spot, he'd admitted there was more."

Percy smiled, the gesture not warm at all. "Good. Where is he now?"

Katie's eyes darkened. "We locked him up in one of the cells and chained him up as well. He'd tried to escape twice, so we threw him in there."

Percy clenched his jaw. "Guess it's time to pay him a little visit. I'm sure he'll appreciate the company. Take us to him."

* * *

Travis and Katie led us through another series of corridors and hallways, Connor having stayed behind to go train with some other members.

"Have you tried to get information out of him?" Percy asked, his hand clasped in mine.

Travis shook his head. "After we'd forced him to lead us to the cameras, he wouldn't speak after that." He grinned dryly at Percy. "Besides we thought we'd leave the interrogating to you."

Percy smirked. "How's that throat, Katie?"

She rolled her eyes, glaring at Travis. "Don't even remind me about it. This idiot won't leave me alone. He's fussing over it like I got shot instead or something."

Travis smiled at her and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Aw, come on Katie-Kat. You love it."

She scoffed and tried to brush him off, but she did it without effort. "You wish, dipshit."

Travis put a hand dramatically to his chest and winked at me. "She totally loves it," he whispered loudly.

Katie paused to stomp her foot on his, and instantly he let out a yelp and bounced on the foot she hadn't broken.

Percy snickered, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. These two were cute together. So full of love and happiness for each other. It made my heart ache.

Katie laughed at Travis, but her laughter died down as a thought seemed to seep into her mind.

When she spoke, her voice was soft and quiet, almost drowned out by the sound of our footsteps.

"It's true?" She asked, staring at Percy with pained and sad eyes. "Bianca... Bianca's dead?"

Travis instantly righted himself and shut up, peering at Percy with a sad expression.

Percy's smile melted, and his eyes turned dark, sad, letting the brokenness that filled them shine. "Yes," he said quietly. "She is."

The walk was quiet after that, our footsteps the only noise echoing through the hall. Katie's shoulders were shaking quietly, and occasionally she'd bring a hand up to wipe at her face. Watching her, I tried not to cry myself.

A couple minutes later, we reached the end of a hallway and stopped in front of a door with a plaque that read, Cells A-J.

Travis pushed it open and let Percy and I step in. Percy faced Travis.

"Katie and I are going to go train with Connor. He's in cell J. Hopefully you get something out of the bastard," Travis said, his voice hollow.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, man. I'll see you both later."

Katie smiled at me, but it looked strained. At least she was trying. "I hope to see you again, Annabeth. Hopefully under better circumstances."

I forced a smile on my face. "I agree. Bye, Katie, Travis." I nodded at him.

He bowed his head. "Bye, Annabeth."

And then the door shut.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and turned to Percy. His hand found mine and our fingers intertwined. Warmth seeped out of his hands into mine, and all I wanted to do was to wrap him up in a hug and stay embracing him forever.

Percy pressed a kiss to my temple and then began to pull me through the cold and musty hallway. We passed cells as he led me, each one labeled a letter going in order from A and so forth.

Our footsteps had turned quiet once we stepped into the hall, but I was suddenly wishing our shoes made some noise. The silence filled me with dread, and my stomach began to revolve itself as if trying to rearrange everything inside.

Finally, Percy stopped in front a cell labeled "Cell J," just as Travis had said.

At first, I couldn't see anything in there. There was no light inside the cell to illuminate everything, and the dim lamps that led through the hall didn't help. But as I saying he'd, I noticed a dark shape huddled in a corner. It definitely had the frame of a man, and from the looks of it, he seemed well-built.

From the way Percy's hand and body tensed, I could tell he saw the man too. He stepped to a keypad embedded far from the cell, out of reach, and typed something into it. I heard the click of something and the sound of metal hit against hard floor.

Percy walked back to the cell, wrapping an arm around me and taking a step away from the bars.

The man did not move.

"Get over here," Percy ordered, his voice like steel. The man didn't stir. Percy clenched his jaw, eyes flashing. "I know you're awake, fucking asshole. Get over here."

The man still didn't move, and for a second I thought Percy might storm into the cell and yank him over himself, but before had the chance, the man slowly stood up and walked to the front of the cell, towards Percy and I.

He stopped about a foot away from the bars, but he was close enough that the light from the lamp above us could let us see him clearly. So we could see all his features.

I gasped.

The man had curly blonde hair, a lean and athletic frame, and steel blue eyes that were almost gray. Eyes I remembered so well.

When I spoke, my voice came out in a terrible whisper.

"I know you."

* * *

 **There you have it folks, Annabeth Chase knows everyone. Should that be a good or bad thing? How do you think she knows him? Where has she seen or met him before? I gave you guys a sorta-break in this chapter. No deaths...at least not for a while. You're welcome for this kinda early update. This early update was my beg for forgiveness. Did it work?**

 **Another book update (hey, I read a lot): I just finished reading this book called _Stung_ by Bethany Wiggins and oh. My. God. That book was so fucking amazing. I know I say that to every book I recommend, but guys. This one was awesome. It was so different than other books I've read, but different as in good. The plot is amazing and so creative, and I literally almost cried. The girl and guy in that book that were the romance-focused roles had me literally sobbing and laughing and cheering for them the whole time. The author wrote out the narrator's emotions for the man so well, it made me cry. Read it, guys. You'll be crying and cheering for them too.**

 **And HALLELUJAH! DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIMEEEE! EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP! YAYYYYYY! ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN, GUYS.**

 **So, that's all I have to say for right now. You guys are awesome, and I'm sorry for making y'all cry. Sorry not sorry.**

 **Lololol byeeeeee.**

 **~KAT (ISTg, i'M HIgH oN soMETHing RiGHT NoW) lololol see what I did there? (;;; Cookie for you if you know what I did (::)**

 **All right bye.**


	39. Chapter 38

**Hello my sweets! How's everyone doing? EARLY UPDATE TIME! WHOOP WHOOP! Holy shit, Thanksgiving is almost here! Can you believe that? And then fucking break! Thank the gods for that. But anyway, here's the next chapter for you all! Hope you enjoy it, especially since I left you guys with that last cliffhanger ((;**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Yay! Cookie for you (::) and gosh darn it. I'll have to figure out a way for you to forgive me...hmm...And yes, please do! That book is AMAZING! You'll fall in love with the characters as much as I did. And honestly, you're not wrong about the blue-eyed bastards. Haha. But anyway, I like your guess, but you'll just have to read to find out (; Hope you like this chapter! :DDD**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Thanks Kass. I've been looking for someone to accept my apology, but guess everyone's still pretty pissed at me XD. And you're welcome. I always love to do everything I can to make you all so very happy. And hell yeah Percy to the fucking rescue. Who else would be a better hero? And I get what you mean. Don't worry, Percy's going to have a huge emotional breakdown pretty soon, and I'm sure you won't be happy for the reason why. But I mean... you'll just have to wait. And whooppss, guess Annabeth's just the character for this story that's best to pick on. LMAO JUST KIDDING. That was so mean. I'm sorry. But anyway, this douche is gonna get it. And sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger. I had to. HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER BEST FRAND :DDDD**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Well then there you go, Annabeth's the perfect character for that. But I get what you mean. I like it too, cause it just adds so much more suspense to the story and there's always some backstory to it that fucks you up.**

 ** _CaptainPokemon01:_ Glad you like it! And thank you, it was great! Got a new book, some clothes, jewelry...it was great ((:**

 _ **thesweetscentofbooks:**_ **You'll have to read to find out! :D**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **I can sense your frustration XD. And I'm glad you enjoyed that scene! It'd been on my mind for a while, so I just went for it. I thought it was pretty endearing if I do say so myself. And I know what you mean! When they're mixed together...gughgh it can be so frustrating. Hope you like this chapter!**

 ** _Cinder Luna:_ Duuudeee that sounds awesome. I suck at scaring people, (except when I'm mad. That scarres the shit out of people). And thank you! I try my best. And yay! I can't wait xxx**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thank you so much! And no worries, I understand. Life can be annoying. But still, thank you for all your support! xx**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Lmao, glad I got those reactions out of you. And that's true...I'mma have to be incorporating it more in this story. And don't worry, if I do, you'll definitely be mentioned (; thank you for everything! Your support is what keeps me going xxxx and I hope you have a great week too!**

 _ **Cosmo871:**_ **Dont worry! I was just kidding, I don't do drugs. But still, you get a cookie! (::) Have a great rest of your day :D**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **Hm, we'll see if you are! I think you might be. If you'd like to share your suspicions with me, feel free to PM me. I love to hear what all of my readers guess about what's going to happen. And thank you so much! I appreciate it so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter x**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Sadly, she does. Knowing too many people can't be good. But thanks a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter! And get ready for more cliffhangers, cause there's definitely more to come**

 ** _istar144:_ I don't know, you'll have to read to find out!**

 _ **Jessica L:**_ **You're so right. And whoopsiess...sorry not sorry. Those cliffhangers are gonna keep coming. And I'm sorry! I bet a lot of people thought she was going to self-harming, but don't worry. She won't be doing that any time soon. Annabeth's not like that. I hope you like this chapter and have a great rest of your week! xxx**

 _ **Anon:**_ **Yeppppp... In glad you love it! That's my goal for this story: for everyone who reads it to enjoy it. And no problem! Sorry if there's a slip up and I forget and accidentally add the word in there, I'm so sorry if that does happen. And honestly though...like damn I wish I knew that many people. And I'm actually not sure yet. Maybe around mid-December? I don't know, I still have to work it out. I'll let you know though! I still gotta see. But thank you so much!**

 _ **Random Guest:**_ **Thank you! I try my absolute best. And thank you again! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Faulcrome Tano:**_ **Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter as well ((:**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, nope, nope. Don't own shit shit shit**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

 _I pulled my coat tighter around me, slipping my keys into my pocket as I checked my phone for the address he had sent me._

 _I gazed up at the colonial-styled house in front of me, the evening sunset casting a nice glow on the building._ This must be it, _I thought. I took a deep breath and started my way up the sidewalk and stairs, each step more confident than the last._

 _My heart was thumping wildly against my chest. This was it. This was the man who would make my dream come true. The one that would get me into the modeling business. I knew it wasn't safe to just be going into a total stranger's house, but what other choice did I have? If I didn't do this soon, I'd be working under the watchful eyes of my Mother full-time. I had to do something where I could be me. Where I could express myself like never before. Sure, I loved sketching buildings- that was great- but some part of me ached to become a model. I wanted to be walking down the runway with cameras flashing everywhere. I wanted to do this._

 _I tried to calm my racing heart as I rung the doorbell, the sound echoing all the way outside. I heard the distant sound of footsteps and soon, the door opened._

 _Holding the door was a young man about eighteen or nineteen years old. I blinked. I never thought he'd be this young. And living in a house this nice? Must be his parent's or an older sibling's._

 _He had curly blonde hair, a broad frame, and steel blue eyes I almost mistook them for being gray like mine. He seemed well-fit, as if he was constantly moving or working out, and as I inspected him closer, he seemed to have a couple of scars on his face._

 _I winced. Beside the scars on his face and his curly blonde hair, he almost looked like Tristan._

 _His grin shook me out of my thoughts. "Are you Miss Annabeth Chase?" He questioned._

 _I cleared my throat and stuck my hand out, giving him a tentative smile. "Yes, I am."_

 _His smile widened, reaching out to shake my hand. "Great! Come on inside, Miss Chase. I can't wait to start taking pictures."_

 _I felt an uncomfortable churning in my stomach as I looked at him. Something was...off about him. I don't remember his voice sounding so young on the phone._

Everyone's voice sounds different on the phone, _my head chided. Right, I was being ridiculous. After all, my Mother had found this man in the first place. She had been the one to give me his phone number so I could talk to him. As long as my Mother was involved, I was safe._

 _Shrugging, I stepped inside. Warm lights glowed around the entrance, and the inside was warm too._

 _"Would you like me to take your jacket?" The man asked, suddenly beside me._

 _"Oh, yes please," I replied, shrugging it off. I was wearing some tights with ankle-high cream colored boots. I wore a maroon colored miniskirt and a cream colored long-sleeved shirt tucked into it._

 _The man returned a few seconds later, clasping his hands as he inspected me._

 _"Hm," he mused, giving me a smile. "Very good. I think making you famous will be no problem at all."_

 _I smiled at him, but something still felt off. "How old are you?" I asked, the question popping out of my mouth with no restraint._

 _His smile wavered for a bit, but I must have imagined it. "Twenty-one."_

 _I frowned. He looked way too young to be twenty-one. More like eighteen. But, whatever. He must be one of those people who were younger than they looked._

 _"Well, then! Let's get started, shall we? The quicker this is, the faster you'll have your dreams come true," he said hastily, breaking me out of my thoughts._

 _Model...that's right. The thought made me giddy with excitement. This was really happening._

 _"Follow me, Miss Chase," he said, starting to direct me towards a spacious room with cameras set up all around and white backgrounds hung from the cream colored walls._

 _"Now, stand right here," he ordered, leading me to the center of one of the cameras and the background. He hurried over to stand behind the camera. He crouched down and positioned the camera with intense focus. "Pose for me."_

 _I frowned slightly, feeling that uncomfortable tug at my stomach again. "So, how's this going to work exactly? What are you going to do with the pictures you take?"_

 _He glanced up from the camera, his eyes flickering with what I thought was nervousness for a second before he flashed me a smile, extinguishing_ _the flicker of doubt._

 _"I'm simply going to mail these pictures to this editor, to make them more pronounced, who's then going to send them to this modeling agent, whose been looking for a model to guide. Melissa Meyers, I believe her name is. After that, I'm sure you'll be getting a call soon," he explained patiently. He turned back to the camera, "Now, pose for me."_

 _I did so, hearing the snapping of the camera shutter over and over. I posed a different way each time, some even sitting with my legs tucked beneath me or with the regular hand-on-hip, forgetting all about my uneassiness._

 _As he took picture after picture, a thought came to mind._

 _"What did you say your name was again?" I inquired, frowning._

 _He paused, looking up from the camera to give me a smile that sent chills down my spine._

 _"Jordan Gray."_

* * *

My blood was roaring in my ears, and my heart was beating hard against my chest. It couldn't be him. But it was. The same hair, the same eyes, the same face. Even the same scars. This was Jordan Gray.

He gave me a wolfish smile. "So you do remember me."

Percy was on instant high-alert. He turned his sharp green eyes towards me. "What? How do you know him?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. "This is the man who helped me become a supermodel," I whispered, my voice ever so soft.

Percy's expression was one of bewilderment. " _Him?"_ he asked, his face incredulous and angry. "It can't be him."

"Oh, but it is," Jordan said, smiling with malice. "I even remember what she wore the day I took pictures of her. Quite a beautiful woman."

Percy stiffened, clenching his jaw. "Shut up," he snapped. "I don't want to hear a fucking word come from your mouth."

I stood there, shell-shocked. I hadn't heard from him after I'd gotten the call to come work for that model agency. In fact, I'd forgotten all about him. But here he was, standing right in front if me, no need to hide that cold smile.

I vaguely felt Percy tugging me back the way we came from, all the way until we reached the door. I felt numb. I couldn't speak. That bastard helped in trying to kill me. He worked with Luke. He'd been the one to send us to that alley. He helped in killing Bianca.

"Annabeth," Percy snapped. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. "Are you listening to me?"

I swallowed and slowly nodded.

Percy's eyes flashed with anger. "I knew this was a bad idea," he said through clenched teeth. "I shouldn't have brought you here. This is too dangerous. Annabeth, you have to leave."

"Percy, no," I croaked, finally managing to find my voice. I bit my lip and shook my head. "No. It's fine. I'm not leaving. I need to talk to him."

Percy was already pulling the door open. "No, you don't. Stay out there until I come back-"

"Percy, he knows where my Mother is!" I cried, clutching his arm. "I need to find out where they're keeping her. Luke couldn't tell me. Maybe he can. I-I just have a feeling he _knows_ something. Something that we're missing."

Percy stared at me, his eyes ablaze. The glowering expression on his face made me want to kiss him and tell him I was just kidding, but no. I needed to talk to him. That buzzing feeling in my head was telling me something.

 _Always trust the instincts in your mind,_ my Mother's voice echoed in my head. _You only use your gut to tell you if something is wrong._

Percy cursed and glared at me. "You know, what you're doing is really starting to piss me off."

I gave him a wry smile. "What am I doing, exactly?"

Percy clenched his jaw and shook his head, but I could see his lips fighting for a smile. "Fine," he snapped. "Let's go interrogate the bastard."

I placed a hand on his chest, biting my lip. I shook my head. "I have to talk to him alone, Percy. I have a feeling he won't say anything if you're there."

His eyes flashed. "And why the hell not?"

I gave him a dry smile. "Because you're Percy Jackson. But come on, I have to talk to him by myself. You can let me do that, can't you?"

Percy stared down at me, bringing up a hand to gently tuck a curl of hair behind my ear. He ran his thumb softly over my lower lip. "Yes," he said quietly. "I can let you do that."

I smiled up at him, reaching up to plant a kiss on his soft lips. "You stay here in case he tries anything. But I'll be fine. This talk will take ten minutes at most. Then you can come."

He sighed. "All right."

I ran my fingers down his cheek softly before walking back towards Jordan's cell, where he stood patiently waiting.

Once I was in his line of sight, he smiled bemusedly and gave me a slow once-over. "Miss Chase," he said dryly. "You haven't changed at all. But I must say, your looks have improved over the years. That modeling business did wonders to your body."

I tried hard to keep myself from stiffening and recoiling from him. "You know, Percy's just right down the hall," I informed him, keeping my voice icy cold. "I could always call him over to slit your throat in half. Or, you know, I could always do it. One quick swipe."

Jordan sneered, bringing his hand up to lightly touch a red scar that ran across his throat. "I believe your boyfriend already took care of that." He suddenly chuckled, the dry sound sending an unwanted shiver down my spine. "Percy Jackson? Luke will not be pleased about that."

I clenched my fists tightly, gritting my teeth. "Whom I date is none of his concern. Nothing about me is. Not anymore."

Jordan's eyes suddenly clouded over with what looked like pity and sadness, surprising me. He winced. "Luke Castellan isn't the most...caring and respectful man to be with."

"I think I know that already," I snapped, my voice sharp. It surprised me how strong I sounded, when all I wanted to do is break down crying at the mention of Luke. I managed to hold myself together. "And I didn't come to talk to you about my past relationship with Luke. I came to ask about my Mother."

Jordan blew a piece of golden hair out of his eyes, shaking his head. "Miss, I don't know where your Mother is-"

"Don't lie to me," I said, swallowing. "I know you know where she is. Or at least, who has her."

Jordan winced. "I do know that, but I'm not sure you want to know the answer."

A cold ball of dread settled at the bottom of my stomach. "Tell me," I whispered.

Jordan shook his head, pursing his lips. "I'm afraid I can't tell you, Miss Chase. There are cameras all over this warehouse, some I don't even know of. If I say the wrong thing, were all dead."

I clenched my jaw tightly, tears burning in my eyes. "Please, Jordan. Where is my Mother?"

He was quiet for a while, his steel blue eyes staring intensely at me. The silence filled my with dread. What was he talking about? What does he mean when he says that I don't want to know the answer to who's keeping my Mother? Who is he working for?

"I'm sorry, Miss Chase," he said quietly, and for a second, I thought I saw a look of guilt flash over his features. Then it was gone.

"All I can tell you is that you will be getting the answers you need, but it will not be in the way you want them. Trust me when I say this, do not leave the safety of where you are staying. Stay with Percy Jackson. Do not leave. Or you will be gone like Athena as well," he warned, his voice a harsh whisper.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to keep my hands from trembling.

"You are not safe," he whispered. "You are constantly being watched, Miss Chase. You need to be careful. One wrong move and you die. That is all I will tell you."

He gave me one last look, and then walked back to where he had been locked up, the darkness absorbing him like a blanket, disappearing from my sight.

I wanted to demand him he tell me where my Mother was, to come back. I had so many questions whirling through my mind that I needed to ask, but my voice wouldn't work. I blinked away the tears shining in my eyes and turned to walk back to the entrance.

* * *

Percy's hands gripped the wheel hard, his face masked with an unreadable expression. He'd asked me what Jordan had said, but what was I supposed to tell him? Nothing Jordan said helped me. It was the same words every time. _You're not safe, Miss Chase._ I almost laughed. I think I'd gotten the memo already. I didn't need everyone repeating it to me everywhere I went. They just reminded me of the living target I was.

I clenched my hands in my lap, fresh tears already blurring my vision. Interrogating Jordan hadn't worked. Neither had torturing him. And we couldn't kill him, because then we'd lose the only source of information we had. But what information? He wasnt giving us any. I'd never find my Mother.

Once I'd gone back to Percy, he'd given me one glance, and then spend off to lock Jordan up again.

 _There are cameras all over this warehouse, some I do not even know of._

Great. This was all so hopeless. All I wanted to do was cry and roll myself up into a ball, to shut myself out of this world and fall asleep. I couldn't handle this any longer.

But I had to keep going. Bianca would've told me that. My Mother would have. All the people I ever cared for would tell me that. The least I could do was to keep trying. For them.

No matter if I die along the way.

* * *

Percy and I walked into HQ, the instant wave of sadness inside hitting me like a freight train. This was utterly devastating. Just walking into this house was like walking into a funeral. It was a constant reminder of all the deaths that have occurred. Of the people who wouldn't be coming back.

I felt Percy's hand slip into mine, his fingers intertwining perfectly with my own. I looked at him, startled by the sad look in his broken eyes.

"What do you want to do now?" He whispered softly, giving my hand a soft squeeze.

I bit my lip, casting my eyes to the floor. I suddenly felt overwhelmed with exhaustion, when it was barely midday.

"I just want to stay in my room," I responded quietly, bringing my eyes up to look at him. His face softened, and he nodded.

He leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead. "I'll be there soon. First I have to make a call with Travis. I won't be long." He brought his lips down to mine in a lingering kiss, one that made my head swim and throat contract and leave me wanting more than just a simple kiss.

He pulled back, stroking my face softly with a gentle hand and running his thumb over my bottom lip. I found myself leaning into his caress, just wishing that things could be normal between the two of us. Not having to worry about being constantly watched by who the hell knows. Not having to worry about dying. Not having to worry about being sworn off love.

"Go and rest," he whispered softly. I swallowed and nodded, and with one last kiss, he disappeared down the hall.

* * *

 **(I'm putting this note up here cause I don't wanna interrupt the scene ahead, but when you guys see this: ** Three good songs to play in that scene are either, Not Afraid Anymore by Halsey, Bom Bidi Bom by Nick Jonas (solo version), Give you what you Iike by Avril Leveigne,** **or Crazy in Love cover by Sofia Karlberg. If you guys want to really get the feels, I suggest you listen to one (or more) of those songs while reading. Please and thank you.)**

I stepped into my room, my eyes flickering from one place to the next. The made bed. The closed closet doors. The sunlight spilling through the windows. The warm air that filled the room. Everything was so normal. The one thing I wanted my life to be but knew it would never come.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, closing the door softly behind me. Jordan's words kept echoing through my mind, _one wrong move and you die._

But why? Who had such a vendetta against me that one single action from me would be the end of everything? Maybe it was Luke. Maybe he was the one leading this whole thing. He said he'd be coming for me soon. Looks like all I have to do is wait.

I felt bile rising in my throat and I ran into the bathroom. I made it in time to the toilet and dry heaved, feeling like I was going to throw up. But nothing came. The dry heaves seemed to empty out my system, making my chest and throat ache. A whimper escaped my lips, and I closed the lid to the toilet and sink down on it. I buried my hands in my hair, feeling my eyes burn with tears.

Everything hurt. There wasn't a part of my body where I didn't feel pain. It went both ways. Physical and emotional. My head swam with thoughts and memories. My chest felt as if it were on fire. My throat burned. My legs and arms felt numb. I just wanted to put an end to all this hurt and pain.

I managed to walk to the sink without passing out, turning the faucet and splashing my hands and face with the cool water. I grabbed a bar of soap, rubbing it all over my face till I was unrecognizable. I wanted to rub away the tired and tormented look in my dull eyes. I wanted to wash away that stupid, fake smile I always plastered on. I wanted to rinse all of it away.

I grabbed a towel and dried my face, the soft material of it soothing against my skin. I sighed. This was what I wanted to feel. Calm. But that calmness evaporated in a matter of seconds. Gone like the soft little pedals on a dandelion once you blew on it.

I heard the door to my room open and shut.

"Annabeth?" Percy called. I opened the door to the bathroom and stepped outside. His eyes found mine, a sort of relief washing over him and a soft smile gracing his lips.

Just the sight of him made me start to cry.

Percy's face instantly contorted to one of concern, and he was in front of me in a matter of seconds. He grabbed my face and buried it in his chest, warmth radiating from underneath the fabric.

I wasn't sobbing like I normally did. These were soft cries, silent tears slowly running down my face, not like the heavy and thick tears that practically blinded me.

Percy stroked my hair, occasionally grabbing my face and peppering kisses all over it. This was what I needed. Him. I needed him right here with me. My whole life was left behind in a blink of an eye, everyone I knew and cared about, gone. But this man wasn't gone yet. He was right here, clutching me close against him and not saying a word. I didn't need words right now. I needed the silent comfort where you simply hold someone and make them feel better without even having to say a word.

"What's wrong?" Percy finally asked, his voice soft.

"Everything," I whispered, pressing my face closer to his chest.

"What did Jordan tell you?" Percy asked, grabbing my chin and forcing my face up to meet his gaze. His mouth was set in a hard line, jaw clenched. But his eyes were soft, the look in them drawing the words from my lips before I even knew I was talking.

"He said I wasn't safe," I said, my voice quiet even to my own ears. I'd stopped crying, but my chest was still burning from the pressure of so much pain I was carrying.

"He said that if I made one wrong move, I'd die." The words sent a chill down my spine as I spoke them, and I pressed myself tighter against Percy, casting my eyes to the floor.

Percy fingers found my chin once again, forcing it higher so I could look at him. His eyes were ablaze now, both with anger and passion.

"No, you're not," he said, his voice harsh yet gentle at the same time. How did he do that? How did he manage to feel two polar opposite emotions at once?

"Annabeth, I will do everything in my power to keep you alive. You're not going to die because I'm going to be there with you through it all. No one's going to touch you, not even later a finger on you. You know why?" He asked, his voice hard.

I found myself unable to look away from his eyes and face, finally watching as he unraveled all his emotions and actually let me _see_ what he was feeling. My chest burned.

"Why?" I breathed.

He kept his eyes locked on mine, the anger fading away and being replaced with such passion and care, it made me take a sharp breath.

"Because I don't know what I'd do with myself if you ever died," he whispered. His eyes darkened, and he tightened his hold on me. "I'm keeping you alive."

He spoke with such certainty and angry firmness, it made my throat constricted.

"You can't do that all on your own," I said shakily, my voice breathy.

"Watch me," he whispered, his voice sharp. I caught my breath. My chest tightened painfully at his words, but it seemed to be a mix of pain of passion and pure hurt for everything that was going on. None of us were safe, yet here this man was, assuring me that he would be keeping me alive, all on his own. By will, and by want.

** I needed to get rid of this pain and hurt. I needed to stay alive for this man. The one person who made me feel so many things at once, I couldn't handle it.

I grabbed Percy's face with my hands and captured his lips with mine, moving them feverishly against his. Percy was surprised at first, tensing in a second and kissing me back the next. He grabbed my face with his own hands, pulling away, panting.

"Annabeth," he said, his voice husky. He stared at me in concern and confusion.

"Percy, please," I breathed, clutching his shirt in my hands. "I need this, right now. Please."

Percy stared at me, his eyes dark with want and passion. My chest swelled, pressing painfully against my rib cage. I knew that this was wrong, but I needed to get rid of all these feelings, this pain and constant hurt. But I was feeling overwhelmed with want for Percy, I needed him. My need for him overpassed my pain. I was panting, hard. My head was swimming with emotions, so powerful my stomach churned and my whole body burned. I hadn't felt like this in a long time.

"Percy," I whispered, staring at him, his eyes clouded with lust and strangely- guilt. "Please."

He stared down at me, his gaze intense and intimidating. I knew he knew why I wanted this, just by looking into my eyes I knew he understood. He looked troubled, like he wanted to talk. But I didn't want to talk, I was done talking. I was done crying. The only thing I wasn't done with was wanting him.

I was suddenly slammed against the wall, and Percy's lips were pressed against mine, moving heatedly and with the same feverish want I was feeling. He pinned my arms above my head with one hand, pressing his body closer against mine, so that there was no more space left between us.

He trailed kisses down my neck and along my jaw, leaving my skin burning hot and itching. I threw my head back as I arched my back, letting out a loud gasp as he nipped and sucked on my skin. I was incapable of moving, my hands trapped above my head as he pinned me hard against the wall.

My body felt as if it were on fire. I was gasping and panting, my breaths coming out in staccatos. Percy captured my lips with his own, muffling any gasps or moans that tried to escape. He caught my bottom lip between his own, sucking and nipping at it.

"How would you expect me to say no to a woman with such a gorgeous face?" He growled, his voice husky and low. He ran his tongue over my jaw, emitting a soft gasp from my lips.

"Percy," I whimpered, struggling to get my hands out of his tight grip. I wanted to touch him, to run my hands all over his hair. But he wouldn't budge.

Just when I was about to beg him to release my hands, I was suddenly being gripped behind the thighs and hoisted up. I instantly wrapped my legs around his waist, pressing my body achingly tight against his. I wore my hands through his hair, pulling at the strands. A low growl escaped his lips, the sound sending a tremor through my body.

He stumbled us over to my bed, pushing me down onto it and discarding his jacket and shirt in one swift move.

He crawled back on top of me, tugging at the hem of my shirt as he leaned down to trail kisses around the collar of my tank top. I bit my lip and nodded, and he leaned up just enough so I could see his dark, predatory gaze, and the wolfish grin on his lips that made me squirm beneath him. He practically tore my shirt off, and before I had even the time to blink, he was capturing my lips with his own again.

I latched my arms onto his biceps, the muscle hard and flexing underneath my touch as his hands moved around my body, his touch setting my skin on fire. I kicked off my shoes, hearing a thump as they hit the floor.

Percy continued his administrations, creating a burning path of open-mouthed kisses down my cleavage, his breath and mouth like wildfire.

" _Percy,"_ I gasped, arching my back as he began to suck on the middle of my cleavage.

I felt him grin against my skin, his teeth nipping at the flesh lightly. A loud whimper escaped my lips, my nails digging into Percy's skin.

He trailed his nose lightly around my neck and jawline, taking deep breaths through his nose.

"God, you smell good," he groaned, licking just below my earlobe. His other hand trailed above the waistband of my leggings, dipping his fingers under the fabric and pressing his fingertips to my skin.

"Percy, _please,"_ I panted, the muscles in my stomach clenching and tugging hard, making me wither beneath him.

Percy brought his hands out from my leggings and grabbed my hands, pinning one to each side of me, pressing me down into the matress hard.

He stared down at me, a sly grin on his pearly white teeth and a dark, animalistic gleam in his intense green eyes. He was so beautiful.

He ghosted his lips over my chest, close to my bra, his breath hot as it fanned my skin. "What is it you want, Miss Chase?" He whispered huskily, dipping his nose to inhale.

"You," I moaned, my eyes rolling to the back of my head as his mouth latched onto my skin.

He moved down to my torso, his mouth sucking and biting and kissing my stomach. I writhed under him, desperate for this man's touch. I needed to have him.

"I think-" Percy said quietly, his fingers pulling at the waistband of my leggings. "-its time we take these off."

He peeled them back slowly, keeping his eyes locked on mine the whole time. He slid them down my thighs, carefully avoiding touching my skin with his fingers. He slipped them off, flinging them to the floor.

He turned back to me, giving me a grin that sent a shiver down my spine. His eyes trailed down my body slowly, looking as if he were trying to memorize every detail of it.

His hands trailed down to my feet to my socks, slowly sliding them off my feet in one quick movement. He brought his head down to my thighs, peppering kisses and occasionally nipping at them. Flames seemed to erupt in my stomach, traveling all the way down from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. Muscles deep in my stomach clenched deliciously, causing me to gasp loudly and arch my back.

Percy came back up to me, latching his lips onto mine, moving fluidly and hungrily. My hands wound themselves in his thick, soft hair. A soft groan escaped his lips, and with surprising swiftness, I grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped us around so that I was straddling his waist with him underneath me.

I gave him a sly grin as he stared up at me, eyes clouded with desire and bewilderment.

"I think-" I mimicked, tracing my fingernail over his chest. "-its time me switch roles."

He chuckled, the huskiness of his voice sending a shiver through my body.

"Oh, Miss Chase," he said quietly, his voice hoarse. His hands traveled up to my waist, fingers gripping my hips. "The things you do to me."

I leaned down to him, my face inches away from his. I brushed my lips across his, relishing the way his breathing quickened. "And I can't wait to find out what they are," I whispered, my voice equally husky as his.

He grinned in a way that made the muscles in my stomach clench, my breath catching.

"Let's start, shall we?" He asked, fingers wandering up to my bra clasp.

I bit my lip, my head dizzy with lust and passion. "Thank you, Percy," I said softly.

He smiled up at me before unlatching the clasp, letting my undergarment fall limp. "You're welcome, Miss Chase."

And for the next two hours, I found that the pain was gone.

* * *

 **Awwwwww. Wasn't that the absolute best pre-sex ever? I tried to make it as wonderful as I could. Damn. Annabeth's got a lot on her shoulders. I'd feel the same if I were her. What about you guys? How'd you feel? And sorry this is so short. My bad. But I swear the next one will be longer, and it'll definitely hit you guys hard. _Hard._ So get your buckets and punching bags and cover whatever device you reading this on with safety-padding, cause _shits going down._**

 **And sorry for all the song recommendations. They all just worked so well with the scene, I couldn't pick one. Hopefully you guys did listen to a song whole reading it. If you did, then cookie for you! (::) If not then... No cookie.**

 **Alrighty! See you guys next time! It'll probably be Thanksgiving! What are you all thankful for?**

 **~Kat**


	40. Chapter 39

**Hello everyone! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Hope y'all eat a load of food and pass out from the bliss of it all. Just kidding. Don't pass out. ANYWAY, I just wanted to say how thankful I am to have you all here with me on the writing journey. Thank you all for supporting me and giving me your help and positive, kind words. You guys are amazing. I am grateful to you all, and am proud to call you my dear readers, and most importantly, friends. Thank you.**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed that part. There was a lot of thought put into having Jordan be the one who got Annabeth her modeling career, but it all seemed to play it well. And no problem at all! It was awesome. Can't wait for more! I love you too ≤33 I'm glad to call you my friend (:**

 _ **CaptainPokemon01:**_ **Happy to have surprised you. And perhaps, maybe not. You'll have to read and see ((:**

 _ **Faulcrom Tano:**_ **Thank you! I tried my best. And I'm glad to hear that! I love adding song recommendations into my stories. I love music, and I feel like it adds a greater effect and feel to a story as you read it. I hope you enjoy this chapter (: And have your cookie! (::)**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Lmao, it sure did, didn't it? But I'm glad to hear that you still enjoyed it. I hope you don't have a lack of sleep because you're up reading this story XD wouldn't want you getting insomnia. I'm happy to hear you liked the Percabeth! It was really importlant in the last chapter, considering what's going to happen in this one...haha. Hope you like it!**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Thank you! And sorry to hear that...Bobby and Matthew are gone, so they won't be appearing. And I'm glad you enjoyed the Percabeth! I loved it too. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Im not sure...I kinda thought that was gonna be the end of it? Idk, ill have to see.**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Right? It's literally the best thing ever. And I'm so glad to hear that! I love adding song recommendations to my stories. It adds so much more feels to the scenes. And the wait is over! Here's the next chapter! And she does, doesn't she? Glad I surprised you ≤33 and here's your cookie! (::)**

 _ **Gauti: That's**_ **great! I love this song. And here's your cookie for listening to it! (::) And no...at least, not in that way. Something's going in with him that's making him act that way... And you know Percy, he gets overprotective even if someone just says one word to Annabeth. And thank you so much! I'm glad that my writing helps you understand stuff. And yep, that's very true. As for Thanksgiving, you're correct on those things too. And that's so cool! What part of India, if you don't mind me asking? And Thanksgiving is basically a day where you can eat a shitload of food and no one will call you a fatass. And, you get to spend time with family and be grateful to have them with you and other things as well. It's a lot of fun, and I enjoy it. And technically, Percy and Annabeth are dating, it's just an unspoken relationship where they both know that they're dating. You know? Hope you do. But soon, everything will be great. Don't you worry. And I'm glad you liked the Percabeth! I tried to make it as cute as I could. Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thank you so much! You're so sweet. I hope you like this chapter ≤33**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **I'm glad I had you shook XD and no problem at all. Didn't wanna confuse you guys by switching to a different scene. And yeah, he kinda does care. You'll find out why later. As for Percy, he's not letting Annabeth out if his sight _at all._ Cause it's Percy. What do you expect? But he gave in, like you said, "haha little shit." That made me laugh. Anyway, that was beautiful wasn't it? Nah, just kidding, but thanks babe! I tried to make it as heartfelt as possible, cause Annabeth's all fucked up with her raging emotions, she just had to let it all out. And what was that done by? By having sex. Best way to solve your problems. IM KIDDING NO ITS NOT DON'T LISTEN TO ME. Haha, anyway, your welcome! I hope you tell of your math teacher for being stupid and tell her/him to get their shit together. Like damn. I hate it when teachers do that. But don't worry, love. I'm durr you'll slay that motherfucking test and shove your A up everyone's asses. Just watch. Im here for you, remember that. And like I said before, shits about to go down. So get your snacks and a blanket, cuz you are going to be SHOOK. Love you! Xxxxxxxxxxx**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Glad I surprised you! And yes he has. And thank you so much! I try my very best to put everything together to make it go smoothly and fluidly. What kind of writer would I be if I didn't do that? Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Damn it, you caught me! But yes, guilty. What can I say? I love a good pre-sex scene (; and what you said made me laugh so hard. I was not expecting anyone to say that to me. Thank you for catching me off guard and making me laugh! ((:**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Your words make me so happy! Thank you!**

 _ **Kirsten:**_ **Whoops, sorry! Here it is though! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter! ((:**

 **Disclaimer: Nopeeee i don't own anythinnnggg**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I could hear Percy breathing beside me, soft and quiet. My head was laid on his chest, his heartbeat slow and steady in my ears. I absentmindedly ran a fingernail down his torso lightly, causing his grip around my waist to tighten.

I turned my head to look up at him, his eyes closed lightly and black hair tousled and messed up. I smiled and kissed his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and he blinked, his piercing, beautiful green eyes resting on me. He gave me a lazy smile, one that set my nerves on fire and caused my heart to skip a beat.

"Hey, beautiful," he whispered, his voice gravelly. He furrowed his eyebrows, peering at me. "How long was I asleep for?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "About two hours. Didn't know someone could fall asleep that quickly before. You know, you tire easily for a man who's up all day and all night basically working out."

"Hey," he said, nudging me playfully. "You shouldn't be teasing me. After all, this body was the thing that gave you the time of your life, thanks to all that working out."

I scrunched up my nose and he laughed, the sound reverating down to my stomach and causing a flush to creep up my cheeks.

"Did you take a nap at all?" He murmured, his intense gaze on me.

I sighed, shaking my head. "No... I can't, even if I wanted to. Too much is on my mind."

The words slipped out of my mouth before I had the chance to stop them. Oh well. Too late. Guess it's time to have those depressing talks again.

Percy's gaze softened, and he rubbed my bare shoulder with a warm hand, soothing my muscles and making my eyes start to feel heavy.

"Like what?" He asked softly.

"Well..." I said, my voice low and drowsy. "My Mother, for one. I... I still can't get over the fact that she's gone. That I'll probably never see her again. I want to try to get her back, Percy, I really do. But..." I swallowed, pressing myself against his chest. "It's just so hard. We have no idea where to find her, much less how to get to her. Everyone working for that group or whatever it is is so dedicated. Like if they say the wrong thing or give out too much information they'll die either way. It's no use. I can't find her."

Percy was quiet for a moment, the silence making my stomach churn and my heart pound. His hands remained on my back and shoulders, his thumb stroking over my skin.

"We'll figure this out," he finally said, his voice quiet. "I swear to you that we will. You'll see your mother again, one way or another. I'll make sure of it."

It was all I could do to make every part of myself believe him.

* * *

It was already late by the time Percy and I peeled ourselves from the safety and comfort of the covers. I had slipped on the clothes Percy had so unceremoniously torn off of me, and my cheeks flushed at the thought.

Percy had left to take a shower, leaving me alone in my room. Once he had closed my door, I felt an instant longing for him to be near me again. I pushed those feelings away, but the thumping of my heart and churning of my stomach I got whenever I thought of him would not go away.

I sighed, running a hand over my tangled mess of curls. The bed was a mess, the covers inside out and pillows at opposite ends of the bed. I was not going to make it all by myself.

I reached over for my phone and clicked it on. 6: _46._

I pursed my lips. The time flew by so fast. And minute by minute, hour by hour, I was still uncapable of trying to find normality in this life of mine. So very fucked up.

* * *

I found myself going downstairs and into the kitchen, my stomach not being able to hold any longer without food. When I entered, it was empty, just like how the rest of the house felt. Vacant.

I shivered, feeling a lump in my throat. The others seemed as if they hadn't stepped out of their rooms. Not after Bianca's death.

I was worried. How long would this last? How long would this house feel so miserable and angry while it missed one of the people that had lived here for years? How long until we all gave up?

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the door open, and I whirled around. Jason stepped in, and the look of him made my throat constrict painfully. His face was pale, his eyes sunken and the blue in them dull. His mouth was pressed in a hard line, his whole face radiating a look of exhaustion.

His eyes widened when he saw me, but then he relaxed, running a hand over his face.

"Hey, Annabeth," he said, his voice tired and sad.

"Hi, Jason," I greeted, the words coming out quieter than I wanted them too. I couldn't help it. It was as if I spoke any louder, he would break. He looked alarmingly fragile, a look I never thought I'd see on him, a natural born leader. Jason always appeared to me to hold a look of calm and confidence. Now that was all gone, revealing the side all of us seemed to hide. The one that was so easy to break.

"What were you doing?" He asked, stepping around me to grab a glass cup from the cupboards. His movements were slow yet brisk, as if he did them too quickly everything would go wrong. It was exactly how I felt.

I cleared my throat. "I just came in here to eat," I replied, reaching out to another cupboard and pulling out a bowl.

Jason nodded, starting to grab the items you would use for a smoothie. He pulled out the blender, starting to put in all the items.

I didn't like this silence. I never have. I had to say something, but what? What could I say to a man who had just lost someone he was so close with, someone he loved enough to call her a sister?

"How...how are the others?" I asked, trying hard to keep my voice even as I pulled out a box of cereal.

Jason cracked two eggs, letting them slip into the blender, his eyes burning down into it.

"I can't say," he said, his voice steady, yet there was a painful undertone in it that made me clench the bowl in my hand tighter. "They're all locked up in their rooms."

I poured the cereal into the bowl, keeping my eyes on the flakes that floated in. "And Piper?" I asked quietly.

I glanced over at him, a look of pain flashing across his face.

"Not good," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "She hasn't spoken a word." He shook his head. "This is all too much for her. First Silena, and now Bianca... She's just about broken now."

I bit my lip, setting down the box. I would have hoped to hear something better. That she was okay. That the others had come out of their rooms at least once. But hoping was about as useless as making a promise; you couldn't depend on either.

"And you?" Jason asked, startling me. Percy asked me this question all the time. How was I? I was certainly not good. I broke down crying every ten minutes. My whole body was filled with an emotional pain that was just enough to choke me. I was not fine. But I couldn't tell Jason that. He needed to hear at least one answer that wasn't a lie.

"I've been better," I answered, staring down at the bowl filled with cornflakes.

Jason sighed, grabbing milk from the fridge and pouring it slowly into the blender. "I think we all have," he said.

I bit my cheek, waiting until he was done pouring milk to grab some myself.

"And Percy?" He asked, his eyes careful to avoid mine.

My heart thumped and my body instantly heated at his name, and I quickly tried to turn off those reactions, but the more I did, the greater they flared.

I cleared my throat subconsciously, sure that my cheeks were flushed and eyes were giving everything away. "Percy's..." I frowned. Percy did such a good job at hiding what he felt, so good that sometimes asking him how he actually felt slipped my mind. I clenched my hand, guilt flooding through me. Percy's been fussing over me too much when I should be the one worrying about how _he_ felt. But even if I tried, Percy would shut me out quicker than I could ask if he was okay, doing it in a way where he flipped everything around so that I started pouring all my emotions out to him. Percy opened me up and read me like a book, a book he had to constantly look over and make sure no pages were wrinkled or that no one touched it in a way that would mess it all up. It was a book he kept close. How he did it, I had no idea. But I knew I felt that tug, the in that pressed me up against him and clutched him as if he were the only thing tying me to this world, the only thing keeping me sane and safe. With just one word, one touch, he could make all of my kept secrets come spilling out of my mouth faster than I could stop them. It scared me, how easily he could get me to confess things to him. But it was the way how I just _knew_ my emotions and feelings towards him were getting stronger that made me want to lock myself up in my room and never leave. That was what terrified me most of all.

"Percy hasn't talked about how he is right now," I finally said, my throat constricting.

Jason sealed the lid on top of the blender, his hand gripping it tight. "Percy has had practice with that. Not telling others how he really feels." He chuckled, the sound bitter and sad. "It's unfair, really, how he can do that. Switch things around so that he makes it seem as if he was the one who asked you how you were feeling. Percy's a bastard that way."

I shook my head, his words so achingly true. Percy was clever. He didn't like to talk about feelings. He kept most of his past with Rachel unmentioned, almost never bringing up her name. That hurt him. That wasn't good for him. He had to talk about her, whether they were good or bad words. The thought of Luke always came to my mind, and bitter words about him always flowed out of my mouth, an unstoppable torrent that left me feeling hurt but satisfied. Percy, however, kept to himself, putting me in front of his own needs. That wasn't safe, but the reminder of everything he's done for me these past months makes my chest tighten and my heart swell uncomfortably.

Jason poised the blender on it's base, hesitating to press the on button.

"Hey, Annabeth?" He asked, his eyebrows creased and eyes narrowed.

"Yeah?" I replied, bringing the spoon up to my lips to chew on some cornflakes.

"Who was that guy?"

The cornflakes almost got lodged in my throat.

I coughed inside my mouth, bringing the bowl up to my lips to wash down the sudden dryness of my throat and the remainder of the cornflakes.

"You mean Luke?" I whispered, my voice terrifyingly soft.

Jason nodded, his eyes burning into mine. They looked tired, angry, sad, broken. I was all too familiar with that look, and the thought made me wince.

I took a breath, gripping the bowl tighter. "Luke Castellan was my ex-boyfriend," I answered, trying hard to keep my voice steady yet failing at it. "Once the CEO of Hermes Express."

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the counter. "Luke Castellan," he mused, staring down stairs the floor. "I think I remember my father once telling me something about him. I can't remember what exactly, though." His eyes flickered up to meet mine, ever so serious. "What happened with you two?"

This was the hard part, explaining this. I set the bowl down on the counter, sitting down in one of the stools.

"He raped me," I said simply, the words coming out stronger that I'd expected them to.

Jason's eyes widened, his mouth open. "God," he breathed, staring at me. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth. Percy had mentioned something with rape while we were in that alley but I just thought he was being more pissed off than usual and was saying nonsense. Oh my God."

"It's fine," I said, my voice now quiet again. "That was two years ago. Two years ago I'd been able to love someone. But I just never thought I'd see him again. Coming face to face with him in that alley..." I shook my head. "That was awful."

"And you never told anyone?" Jason asked, his face grim. "Not the cops, your mom, no one?"

I shrugged. "It was one of those things where you so desperately want to, and just when you're about to spill it out, the words literally choke you and you can't speak. You can't say a word."

"And two whole years you went keeping that secret to yourself," Jason shook his head in silent disbelief. "That must have been horrible. How could you deal with that? Knowing that you were assaulted by a man and not saying a word about it?"

I stirred my spoon in my cornflakes, watching as they swirled in and out of view, sinking underneath the milk.

"It was horrible," I said quietly. "And like I said. I wanted to tell someone, so badly. But my fear is what held me back. Would they even believe me? Would they judge me? Would they simply laugh at me and call me stupid for ever letting him even get close to me? All my insecurities, my fear, they were the things that kept my mouth glued shut, the things that kept the truth hidden beneath all the fake smiles and facade I put up."

Jason stared at me, no pity on his face, no judgemental words. I was grateful for that.

"And...how did Percy find out?" He questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

I almost smiled at the memory of how it happened. I was so very stupid for running away, but I'm glad I did. I'm glad I know that Percy went after me, and wouldn't take no for an answer. He was the only one who ever kept asking me what was wrong, the only one who kept trying.

"Remember when Poseidon invited Percy and I to dinner?" I asked. Jason nodded. "Well, Poseidon left early, and he left Percy and I together. We talked for a while, and he caught me off guard by calling me beautiful. I was startled, and I suddenly remembered that Luke once called me that. All the time. I freaked out and ran out of there, caught a cab, and made it drop me off at a hotel. Percy came after me, and he pried the truth out of me. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

A ghost of a smile hovered over Jason's lips. "That does sound like him." His eyes suddenly found mine, intense and piercing. "Annabeth, do you ever doubt that Percy cares about you as much as he cared about the rest of us?"

I caught my breath, my eyes widening in surprise. Why would he ask that? "I don't doubt it," I said quietly. "Because I know he cares about the rest of you more than he does me. Percy can't love a woman anymore, just like I can't love another man."

Jason stared at me, his eyes narrowed in thought and his gaze unwavering. "Do you really think that, Annabeth? Have you seen a change in Percy? Because I have. All of us have. Annabeth, we haven't seen Percy this relaxed and happy in a long time. We've never seen his scowl disappear for more than a minute before. Before you came along, Percy's anger was the thing that controlled him most. He wouldn't think twice about the people he would hurt if he killed someone. But now he seems to hesitate a bit more. Percy's happier. That broken look in his eyes is mending, and have you seen the way he looks at you? He didn't even look at Rachel like that. Don't think that he doesn't care about you, Annabeth. Because if you haven't noticed, keeping you alive seems to be his top priority. He does care. And maybe that care will turn into something more soon enough."

I was speechless, my mouth and throat dry. What was I supposed to say to that? He was basically telling me that Percy was close enough to loving me. That couldn't happen. I _wouldn'_ t let that happen, and neither would he. We both had oaths, and we were both stubborn and afraid enough to stick to them for as long as we lived.

Jason turned and pressed the on button on the blender, the whirring of the machine drowning out any words that would have left my mouth if I was brave enough to even speak.

* * *

I managed to finish my cornflakes, but my stomach was churning and throat was clenching so much, it was a miracle I didn't throw it back up. I said goodbye to Jason and went back upstairs, my footsteps heavy and heart seeming to anchor me to the floor.

I stepped into my room, surprised to find the bed made and Percy laying across it, a mixture of a scowl and an amused smile on his lips. It was a really weird mix.

"Hey," I said, bemused as I stared at him.

He glanced up, a smile gracing his lips. My heart instantly leapt into my throat, and I clenched my fists tightly. _Stop it._

"Oh, hey," he greeted, setting his phone aside. I closed the door behind me and padded over to him. He reached up and pulled me down on top of him, my whole body flat against his. The hard muscles of his chest pressed against my stomach and arms as I propped myself on him, trying to get comfortable.

Percy gazed up at me, his breathtaking green eyes piercing into mine, shining like the sun reflecting on the ocean.

He brought his thumb up to brush over my bottom lip, tracing the outline of my mouth. His calloused yet soft fingers traveled across my cheek, stroking with such gentleness and calmness I found my eyes fluttering shut and my head moving closer to his touch.

"So gorgeous," I heard him whisper. I was sure he could feel my heart pumping against my chest, threatening to make me jump along with it.

I opened my eyes, staring down at his beautifully sculptured face. How could a man be so handsome?

I pressed a kiss against his soft lips, the simple gesture filling my whole body with warmth.

"Thank you for making the bed," I said softly, smiling at him.

Percy twirled a curl of my hair in his finger, his lips tilting upwards. "No problem. After all, it was my fault it got that messy."

I rolled my eyes, fighting a smile. I smacked him in the chest lightly. "Don't say that," I mock-scolded. "You sound like a sex-craved pig."

Percy laughed, the sound causing my stomach to clench in a way that made my cheeks flushed.

"Pig?" He asked, smiling amusedly. "I must be the hottest pig on Earth, then."

I scrunched up my nose. "If that's what you think."

He narrowed his eyes at me playfully. "Are you saying I'm not hot?" He asked, a trace of offensiveness in his tone.

I shrugged, fighting the smile threatening to slip it's way onto my lips. "I'm just trying to make sure your ego doesn't threaten to blow this house up." I lowered my voice to a whisper. "If you haven't noticed, it's pretty big."

Percy grinned wolfishly, the gesture causing my stomach to clench again deliciously. "I know something else thats pretty big. In fact, you were having a lot of fun with it not that long ago."

I groaned, rolling off of him and sinking onto the bed. "Percy," I scolded. "Don't be gross."

He laughed again, rolling so he was on top of me now. "I'm kidding," he said, smiling teasingly. "But for real, you're welcome for making the bed. One less thing to worry about for you."

"Well," I said, grinning up at him. "Thank you." I peered up at him, his eyes bright with humor that made him look younger than he already was. "What were you watching on your phone when I came in here? You looked like you wanted to laugh out loud and punch a wall at the same time."

He blinked at me, bewildered, but then he smiled. "Oh," he said, reaching to his back pocket to slip out his phone. He clicked it on, swiping through it a couple of times before finding a news article with the picture of him and I, the day we went on a joyride on his motorcycle.

Below it, a caption read, **_Could this be Percy Jackson and Savannah Erickson?_**

Unlike Percy, I did laugh out loud. I knew Savannah. I remember being on some fashion shows with her. She had curly sandy blonde hair, but the vague similarities between her and I ended there. She had forest green eyes and a smaller frame than I did.

Percy cracked a smile, pocketing his phone. "I wanted to laugh too. But I was mad that they could ever compare another girl to you," he brought his forehead down to mine. "No girl is as wonderful and beautiful as you are."

My breath hitched, and my stomach felt as if someone had lit fireworks inside it, popping and burning my insides.

I cleared my throat. "Well then," I said, my throat suddenly dry. I cleared it again. Percy grinned down at me.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asked wryly.

I rolled my eyes. "What are you talking about? My tongue is still here." I stuck it out at him, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"You sure are something, Chase," he said quietly, his eyes flashing with admiration and care.

I stroked his cheek with the tips of my fingers, sliding them along his sharp jawline and down his throat. "Would you have me any other way?" I whispered softly, the words tumbling out of my mouth with no restraint.

Percy's eyes widened for a fraction, before he smiled gently and kissed my forehead. "No, I wouldn't," he said softly.

I wrapped my hands around his neck and pressed my lips against his. The kiss wasn't as heated and passionate as the...last couple hundred we'd had hours earlier, but more tender and gentle.

My stomach was flipping and my heart was doing a gymnastics routine inside my chest, the combination of the two making my head swim. What was this man doing to me?

Percy pulled back, his breathing shallow and shaky. He stared at me, his eyes bright and intense as they bore into mine. His green orbs with held no emotion, his brooding expression giving no clues away. I clenched my teeth. How could he do that so easily? Hide his emotions so well and make his whole body shut down and rid of any expressions?

"I'll be back,' he said suddenly, sitting up. I sat up as well, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

I opened my mouth to ask him where he was going, but he cut me off.

"I just need to do something," he said, crawling off the bed. He stood up, looking down at me, his handsome face masked with a sudden look of certainty and coolness it almost made me flinch.

His face softened, and he leaned down to give me a long, lingering kiss on my lips.

"Rest," he whispered when he pulled away. "You need it. I'll be back."

I swallowed. "Okay."

He stared at me one last time before turning away, walking out the door without another glance.

* * *

After Percy had left, I'd found myself dozing off, my exhaustion overpowering my want to stay awake. It was a surprisingly peaceful sleep, no dreams at all. It seemed a little odd, actually, not dreaming of anything. I was able to get through it without waking up screaming or crying.

Just when I thought I wouldn't be disturbed and able to go to sleep with no problems, I felt someone gently shake my arm.

I groaned, fluttering my eyes open to see piercing green eyes staring into my own. Percy was there, dressed in faded black jeans, a gray shirt, with his leather jacket thrown over it. His sea green bandana was wrapped around his tousled hair, the sight of it almost emitting a smile from my lips. Percy, however, was not smiling. A serious look was on his face, his lips pressed into a thin line. The expression instantly made my heart beat speed up.

"What time is it?" I asked, the question slipping from my lips.

"It's seven forty-five," Percy said, keeping his eyes on me.

I swallowed, letting my eyes rake over his figure and back up to his face. "What's wrong?" I inquired, my voice quiet.

Percy sighed and sat down. His eyes burned into mine. "I'm going to go look for your Mother."

I inhaled sharply. _What?_ "Who are you taking with you?" I asked, my voice wavering slightly.

Percy shook his head, setting his jaw. "No one. I'm going alone, Annabeth."

"No, Percy you can't!" I gripped his hands in my own, that same warmth still radiating from them. I shook my head, already feeling my heart about to burst out of my chest. "You have to take someone with you. You can't go alone. Let me come with you."

Percy's eyes flashed. "No, you're not going. I won't let you. I'll sit on you and tie you up to this bed post if it means keeping you here. You are not coming with me."

My hands tightened on his. "Percy, it's too dangerous," I pleaded, my throat suddenly feeling as if it were closing up.

"Which is exactly why I have to do this by myself," Percy said softly. He shifted so he was closer to me, his eyes locked on mine. "Annabeth, if I don't go out and at least try to look for her, we might never find her. Jordan obviously won't tell us where she is. I'm going to go, whether you like it or not."

I felt tears pricking at my eyes. "You could die," I whispered, swallowing. "You might never come back to me."

Percy's hands wrapped around my own, squeezing gently but firmly. "I will," he said, reaching up to cup my cheek. "Watch me." His eyes were dark, no longer filled with that bright contentment they had no more than an hour ago. His whole demeanor had changed. He was serious and cold now, his eyes devoid of any warm emotion. I hated it how he did that.

"If I'm not back by tomorrow at ten, then go to Jason first," he explained, his voice steady. "Tell him that I went to go look for your Mother but didn't come back. He'll know what to do. Do you understand?"

I tried hard not to let any tears fall. I didn't want him to do this, even if it meant rescuing my Mother. I'd rather have him here with me safe than going out there risking his life to get my Mother back. It was too much. But yet, I nodded.

"Good." He said, his eyes boring into mine. His green orbs looked like a tropical storm brewing in them, beautiful but deadly. "While I'm gone, rest. You need it. Don't worry about me, don't worry about anyone or anything, you hear me? Rest."

My tears tickled my cheek as they fell freely now, unstoppable and moving as fluidly as a river. "Percy," I whispered, my voice breaking.

"Hey," he murmured, stroking away a tear with his thumb. "Tears? For me?"

He tried for a smile, one I was unable to return. He pulled me into a hug, his strong arms wrapping around me as safely and warmly as a blanket. _Please stay,_ I wanted to say. But the words wouldn't come. If I tried to speak, I'd start sobbing. I couldn't do that. Not now.

"I'll come back," he whispered, pulling back. I gripped him by the shoulders and pressed my lips against his. He responded immediately, kissing back with that same reassurance and warmth I needed from him. His arms wrapped around my waist, and once again, I felt as if I was going to melt under this man's touch.

He pulled back, breathless. "I'll see you later, darling," he whispered.

"Promise?" I said, the tears in my eyes blotting my vision as I furiously blinked them away. I had to look at him, had to memorize every detail of this gorgeous man.

"I promise, princess," he said. This was what he said to Bianca, I remembered. Right before she died.

With one last kiss to my lips, he stood up and walked out of the room, this time glancing at me one last time before he shut the door behind him.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I gunned my motorcycle, patting my back pockets to make sure all my weapons were there. I clenched my jaw, tightening my hands on the handlebars. I drove out of the garage, starting down the deserted path that would eventually lead out into the city.

The moon lit my way as I drove, shining brightly. I kept my eyes focused ahead, trying to keep my mind clear, but the thought of Annabeth kept coming back. I hated seeing her like that, looking so desperate and pleading. It made my throat dry and made me want to wrap her up in my arms and never let her go. Annabeth was a strong girl, I knew that, but there were times where things would seem to overwhelm her to the point where she just needs someone to be there with her, to stay quiet and listen to anything she has to say. And right now, that's what I wanted to be doing. But finding Athena was important. Annabeth is in the verge of breaking, and with the absence of her Mother, she's one step closer to crossing that line. I had to make it back to her. I _would._

Once I made it into the city, I drove around, occasionally parking in a hidden place and ducking into different alleys and abandoned-looking buildings, but no trace of Athena. I held my gun tightly in my hand, every corner I turned my figure instantly on the trigger.

Part of me was angry, the other half feeling somewhere between desperate and a feeling I did not get often; fear. I remember feeling this way after Rachel had left me, all these emotions swirling inside me and trying to over take every other power I had over myself. It worked, for a while. But that was until I met Annabeth Chase, the only woman who's been able to manage to crack a smile out of me for more than a minute.

She made me feel afraid as well, but it was a different kind of fear. I knew my emotions towards her were getting stronger, hell, every time I looked at her I wanted to pepper her gorgeous face with kisses and tell her that I was there for her. I'd felt the same way with Rachel.

Since the moment I met Annabeth, I'd felt a tug deep in my stomach dragging me towards her, pushing me to get closer to her. Now that tug was a full on magnet, making me inseparable from her. Five minutes I went without her made me feel anxious, nervous of how she might be feeling, what she might be doing, thinking, if anything was wrong with her, or if she was okay. That was what scared me most of all.

Ridding anymore thoughts of Annabeth, I cut off the engine of my motorcycle, parking it next to a dim-lit lamp. I'd gone into the side of the city where it's more quiet and deserted, trying to see if I had a better chance here. A few cars passed by here and there, a couple of people walking around and disappearing out of sight soon enough.

Gripping my gun in my hand, I started to walk around the streets, keeping my gaze alert and sharp. My eyes darted to every single thing that moved, my gun steady in my hands.

I crept into an alley, the moon casting shadows against the brick walls of the buildings surrounding me. My thoughts wandered off to a certain blonde beauty, remembering how the first time I'd met her, we'd been in an alley. She'd looked so terrified yet so angry, a weird combination of the two that just drew me towards her even more. Now, one angry glance with her stormy and gorgeous gray eyes made my heart stop, quickening it's pace the darker they got-

 _Enough,_ my subconscious snapped, tearing me away from any more thoughts of Annabeth. _You have to stay focused. Any more thoughts of that beautiful, wonderful, amazing- the list goes on- girl will distract you. Then what happens? You die, and then all you will be able to do is think of her._

I tightened my hold on my gun, gritting my teeth. Fair enough. I took one last look around the alley before walking out of it, starting down the street. I kept my mind blank, forcing it not to think of anyone or anything.

Because one little thought of anyone would be the end of me.

* * *

I drove around and searched and searched every part of those deserted streets and buildings, but found nothing. No clues, no people, no one. I was starting to get frustrated. Where were they keeping that damn woman?

I found myself nearing the edge of the city, getting closer to it. I was walking it on foot now, having left my motorcycle a couple blocks behind hidden so I wouldn't waste so much of it's energy.

I turned a corner, heading down a different street, and just when I thought that I would find nothing here as well, I heard an ear-piercing shriek.

Instantly, my gun was in my hands, cocked in front of me. I heard shouts and grunts, and then the sound of running footsteps. Clenching my jaw, I started walking in the direction of the sounds, getting closer and closer to the entrance of a dark alley.

Just as I was about to go in, someone stumbled out.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart in my throat.

The person who'd stumbled out was a woman about Annabeth's age, with fiery red curls and a beautiful body, dressed in a black skirt, a tank top, and heels.

She turned to face me, those piercing and gorgeous emerald green eyes locking on mine.

My legs almost gave out beneath me.

I knew her, every single detail of this woman imprinted in my mind. The light splash of freckles across her nose, her intense green eyes, her fiery red curls framing her startlingly beautiful face. This was the woman who haunted my dreams at night, the one I'd spent so long mourning over. The one who'd broken my heart.

"Rachel," I breathed, my voice hoarse and barely a whisper.

Her eyes widened as they took me in, and I noticed a gash across her temple, blood dripping from it.

But still, the small detail didn't change a thing about her. She was still Rachel Elizabeth Dare. The one and only true love I ever had.

"Percy," she whispered.

And then she collapsed to the floor.

* * *

 **Holy fuck.**

 **What'd I tell you all? Shit just went down.**

 **I absolutely loved writing this chapter. It was so much fun. The part when Percy was saying goodbye to Annabeth almost made me start bawling. And Percy meeting Rachel again? Baha, I'm excited to see how you guys react to that.**

 **Anyway, you all are amazing! If I don't update next week, I'm so terribly sorry. Haha, especially leaving you guys with that awful cliffy. Hahaha.**

 **HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL AND IF YOU GO SHOPPING ON FRIDAY, DONT GET YOURSELVES KILLED.**

 **~Kat ≤3**


	41. Chapter 40

**Hey my loves! I managed to update! And I was early! Hooray! I wasn't planning on it, but I just got so excited and wrote and wrote and then I couldn't stop. So, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I hope you guys all had a wonderful Thanksgiving or any other holiday you might have celebrated! You are all amazing.**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Im glad I don't! And uh oh, I can only imagine how hard the feels must've hit. That's awful. But your welcome for the Percabeth fluff! Who doesn't like a story without it? How can anyone for that matter live without it? But anyway, YAY! I knew you could do it. But damn, what a bitch. You need to set her up straight. But congrats, babycakes, continue to work hard ((: Ilysm and I hope YOU had a FANTABULOUS Thanksgiving too ≤33**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Nope, I was not. When I say something like that... You should probably take my word for it. And thanks! Glad you enjoyed that. Wanted to give you guys one last moment of peace and fluffiness before it disappears... For a while. Dont get sleep deprived because of me! Wouldn't want you passing out in random places from lack of sleep. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Well... Like you said, I'm an evil monster. And thank you so much! Happy to hear you're enjoying it. And no, I'm not. Maybe some things might be similar, but no. And I don't know... Perhaps.**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Oh my gods! Now you're making me fangirl! AGAHGH I love the idea for their children! Im already imagining it. Gods, thank you for that. I adore Percabeth too, and my inner fangirl is screaming at me for making their relationship so complicated, but you'll have to be patient. And by the end of this chapter, you are definitely going to want to kill me. So.. I hope you like it...hehe. And your conversation with you friend confused me XD**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Read, my friend, and you'll find out :3**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Woah there...calm down XD Rachel might or might not be good in this story. You'll just have to read to find out (: Hope you don't kill me though (':**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Glad I surprised you (; Thank you so very much. Hope you like this chapter! (Probably not, based on the following events, but I'll take my chances) ≤33**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Yes, Rachel's back, my friend. Don't freak out though! She might be good...haha. And I'm pleased to hear that scene made you cry. I was aiming for that. And I loved writing that part with Jason and Annabeth, considering they don't talk much. But yeah. Hope this chapter helps relieve you from that shaking. Probably not, but okay. I love you too!**

 _ **thesweetscentofbooks:**_ **Whoops, yeah, it happens. I can't help it though. I'll try to keep it under control, but I make no promises (': But thank you! I'm happy to hear that. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **IM SO SORRY! I can't help it. Part of being a good writer is making the readers suffer, and feeling their pain. Uncle Rick surely understands that. The only difference is that I am feeling tortured by what I'm doing to my babies, whereareas Uncle Rick cackles in glee when he does. And really? Then you do get what Thanksgiving is (: And that's cool. Don't daydream too much about it. It can get messy XD and that's great! Glad you are doing so much better. Girls can be such a waste of time, coming from a girl herself. We can be mean, I apologize on our behalf. And yes, he is. When a couple like Jason and Piper are that close, whatever one of them feels, the other does too. Sadly. And yes, that's a good way to describe how Percabeth's relationship in this story is. But anyway, thank you so very much for your kind words. I will not stop writing, I can guarantee you that. And thanks for pointing that typo out! I really need to go back and edit these chapters... I'll do it soon enough. Hope you enjoy this chapter my friend!**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Unfortunately, yes, I did. Don't worry though, she does. Might not be a very good addition to the plot, but she plays a big, important part. Can't guarantee you'll appreciate it though. But thank you! Happy to hear that. And I hope you had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving ((:**

 _ **Annabae 4.0:**_ **Im glad to hear that! I absolutely love romance, so I always incorporate it as much I can into my stories. Also, I love your username! And I definitely will continue to write and only hope you keep reading (':**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Thank you! And I will, thank you for that suggestion (: Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 ** _Guest:_ Indeed it is. And oh my gods, you're right. Lot of ship wars going on. And I'm happy to hear that you almost cried. As harsh as that sounds, I'm pleased to see that I did a good job in that scene. I wanted to make it as emotional as possible. Hope you like this chapter and thank you! And I'll try not to (':**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Happy late Thanksgiving to you! Hope you had a good one. And that's not weird at all. I love cliffhangers. I can understand people's confusion with others liking them. Some can just be awful, but others just leave you with this buzzing sensation that drives you mad in a good way (': I hope you like this chapter though :D**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **Kudos to you for catching on ((: And honestly, I was so excited to write that scene. You might not appreciate it, but I can guarantee you might wanna kill me, or... I don't know. But yeah, they're all going to be pissed.**

 ** _Jessica L xxx:_ Oh, say hi to Hades for me! As for your suggestion, that's very true. But I mean, I can see why XD the fandom will never forget how Rachel had the nerve to kiss Percy first. And to make Annabeth jealous and mad. And for being so close to keeping Percabeth apart. And... Well, you get the idea. But you'll just have to keep on reading to find out why she is the way she is in this story (': Thank you!**

 _ **Ester Shadow:**_ **Which was it? Guess I out it in there without even noticing XD or if I did on purpose, I guess I forgot. But I glad you did ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Welp, I'm not sure about that, but we'll see. Hope you and your friend don't end up killing each other :3**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, and I'm sorry for the events following this chapter. Grab a bucket and punching bag, cause you're gonna need them both.**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Once Percy shut the door behind him, I couldn't hold back the heart wrenching sobs the racked through my body. I wanted to go after him, to cling onto him and beg him not to go out there. He would die. He could die. But I knew he wouldn't listen. He wanted to bring my Mother back, and he was doing it for me. That was what caused my heart to compress inside my chest the most, the knowledge of him risking his life to find the one person I needed most.

 _He cares for you, Annabeth,_ Jason's voice echoed in my mind, the words repeating over and over in my head like a mantra I didn't want to keep.

I knew that now. Percy did care, a hella lot. That angry stubborn glint in his eyes made my heart stop, my breath catch in my throat, and my mouth turn dry. That fury he carried made my knees week, the way a girl would feel as if her boyfriend were to kiss her like never before. But it was the anger he got towards the people that were threatening to hurt me, to hurt his family, that made my stomach clench and breathing hitch.

After he'd left, I tried to calm down and relax, repeating over and over that _he would be fine._ He was Percy Jackson. He'd been doing this for years. This is where all his training, all his pensed up irritation an anger would come in good use. I could only hope that he would come back to his family, to me, alive. With or without my Mother.

After what seemed like hours and hours, I managed to slip into dreams that made my heart pound and body sticky with sweat. I dreamt of Percy, walking through the dark streets of Manhattan, gun cocked in his hand, anger flashing through his gorgeous green eyes as an unknown man comes up behind him and stabs him through the back. I dreamt of my Mother, locked somewhere all alone, here face gaunt from lack of food and face sickly white, her gray eyes dim and devoid of all hope. I dreamt of Bianca, a knife repeatedly stabbing into her body from every angle possible. I dreamt of Bobby and Matthew and my Father, the screeching of the tires against asphalt as the car swerves wildly. I dreamt of myself, in this very house, alone. All alone.

I gasped, waking up from the awful nightmares, my body shaking and tears choking me. I swallowed down my fear and anxiousness, spilling out from the covers to go downstairs to get a glass of water. I couldnt sleep. I couldn't get rest. Now I knew how Percy felt, how the others felt. Restless, unable to shut their eyes for a second with worry that something might go wrong. That one of them might die.

 _You learn to get no rest._

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I unlocked the door to HQ, kicking the door open. I looked down at the woman in my arms, her face carved into my mind, every single detail of her implanted in my memories like a fly that does not go away.

Gritting my teeth, I stepped into the house, shutting the door behind me as quietly as possible. My heart was pounding in my chest, suddenly feeling hot under my leather jacket and clothes. I lugged myself up the stairs, each footstep heavy and filled with an unknown dread. I'd wanted to leave her there, lying on the streets as her face bled, but there was a jabbing pain in my chest that would not let me. I couldn't leave her there, no matter how much I knew she deserved it. I could practically hear Thalia's voice in my head, screeching profanities and calling me every single word that described 'stupid' imaginable. The thought almost made me laugh.

It was crazy. I couldn't believe it was her, the woman that left me so long ago, right here in my arms. I wanted to wrap my hands around her neck and demand why she ever left me, why she never returned my love. But part of me just wanted to hold her, to revel this moment with her back in my arms again, safe.

I walked down the hall and crept into my room, opening the door and shutting it behind me. I walked over to my bed and lay her on it. There was a trail of blood leading from her temple down to her jaw, the flow seeming to have calmed down a bit. I walked into my bathroom and grabbed a towel, wetting it with cold water. I walked back to her, starting to clean up the wound.

I stared at her, her face slightly pale and speckles of blood on it, but otherwise, she still looked at beautiful and stunning as I remembered.

 _Do I still love her?_ The question floated in my mind, nagging at me, waiting for an answer. I clenched my jaw, tightening my hold on the towel, causing the now red water to drip onto her face. I loved Rachel for a very long time, and seeing her again, right in front of me, I felt a painful anger rise up my throat. She'd left me, brokenhearted, and I'd hoped that I would never see her again. I thought I wouldn't. But here she was, in the flesh. She'd haunted my dreams for so long, those emerald eyes shining like a flashlight through the darkness of my mind. Just when I had started to get over my pain, just when I'd found hope for happiness and peace with Annabeth, she showed up like a bomb I never expected.

No. I didn't love her. As much as I wanted her to be safe, as much as my throat constricted just looking at her, I knew I didn't love her. Not anymore. Our past was gone. The love I once thought we shared evaporated into the thin layer of air that separates all our hopes, dreams, from the horrible and nasty reality of the world.

After finishing cleaning her up, all that was left was an inch long cut, still shining bright red. I walked into the bathroom to retrieve alcohol and cotton, along with Band-Aids. I quickly fixed her up, walking back into the bathroom to put away all the items.

I closed the door to the bathroom, blocking my vision from the girl I once loved. I leaned against the sink, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't there. I hadn't just stumbled into her on the streets. I hadn't just brought her back to HQ, the one place I never should have introduced her to in the first place.

I turned on the faucet, reaching under it to pour some water on my trembling hands and splash some onto my startlingly pale face. The water seemed to soothe my nerves just a bit, and I continued to splash some on my face, trying to get some color onto it. The water cleared my mind, letting newfound questions slip into my head.

What would happen when she wakes up? What would I say? What would she say? What would I do? Would I be able to get my bitter anger and lingering resentment under control? How would I handle all this? What happened to her? Who hurt her? Why didn't she love me back?

Suddenly, my thoughts shifted to Annabeth. She was probably asleep right now, and if that wasn't it, she was stressing over the fact that I was out there on the streets, looking for her Mother-

"Shit," I whispered, my eyes widening. I needed to go to her, to let her know I was okay. How would she react when she saw Rachel? Would she go ballistic on her like I had to her ex, Luke? I remember that intense wave of fury I'd felt when I realized he was the bastard that hurt Annabeth, the one who broke her the most. I hadn't even felt conscious of my own actions when I'd lunged at him, throwing punch after punch as my vision turned that familiar shade of red. I was _furious._ I hadn't felt that angry in a long time.

I quickly walked out of the bathroom, heading to the door to my bedroom to run in to Annabeth's and clutch her tight and repeat over and over that i was here, that she was safe, that I was safe. To breath in her intoxicating lemony smell and kiss those soft lips of hers, to taste her sweet taste in my tongue. To see those gorgeous and intimidating gray eyes of hers that made my heart stop and breath catch in my throat. To wrap her up in my arms and never let her go-

"Percy?"

I froze, my hand locked on the doorknob. I turned, my eyes instantly locking with her piercing green ones.

I slowly removed my hand from the doorknob, turning to face her completely. I locked my jaw. "Rachel," I acknowledged, my voice bleak.

Her face contorted into a mixture of relief, happiness, and something else, a look I couldn't pin down.

"Oh, Percy," she breathed, standing up and walking towards me, wrapping me up in a hug.

I stiffened under her touch, making no move to embrace her in return. I did not feel that fluttering in my stomach I got when she used to hug me before. I did not melt under her touch. I did not wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. Instead, I reached around myself to peel her hands and arms away from me, holding her at arm's length. Her face flashed with hurt, and her green eyes dimmed.

"What's wrong?" She whispered, reaching up to touch my face. I caught her hand in mine, gripping it tightly.

"Rachel, what the hell happened?" I asked, my voice clipped.

She sighed, her eyes flickering to various places on my face. I kept my expression impassive, a look I'd mastered over the years. I made my eyes devoid of emotion, pressing my lips together and locking my jaw.

"You were always so straightforward," she said quietly, her eyes glinting with remorse and sadness. "I miss that."

"Answer the damn question, Rachel," I snapped, squeezing her wrist. "What happened?"

She shook her head, her red curls bouncing. "I honestly don't remember. I was walking to my car, when some guys pulled me into it. They wanted to know if I knew you, and demanded I'd tell them where you lived. I said no, and everything is just fuzzy after that." She furrowed her eyebrows and pouted her lips, an expression I'd once found so adorable on her.

"Are you sure?" I asked through gritted teeth. "You dint remember anything after that?"

She sighed again and shook her head. "No, I don't. I'm sorry."

I narrowed my eyes at her, then brushed past her, heading over to my nightstand to pick up my phone. "Then if that's it, get out," I replied, my voice hard.

"Percy, don't do this," she pleaded, walking towards me. Her heels clicked against the floor, her expression soft and desperate. She reached out to grip my forearm. "Dont be like this."

"Be like what?" I quipped, wrenching my arm from her grip. "What, you want me to be begging at your feet? Pronouncing my love to you over and over again? Pleading for you to take me back? Well, I'm sorry then, because thats not going to happen. Never again," I growled, staring sharply into her eyes.

She caught her breath, her face flashing with hurt once again. "You don't love me anymore?"

I rolled my eyes. "Rachel, come on. What do you think? After all this time, after you left me for the stupidest fucking reason, after you admitting you never loved me back, you think I'm still in love with you? You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and she caught it between her teeth. "I did love you, Percy," she said quietly, reaching out to place a hand on my forearm hesitantly. "I still do. My father made me tell you that. Do you know how much it hurt to leave you? I never wanted to. I wanted to stay with you forever, but I couldn't. My father would've come between us one way or another. He didn't want me to do anything with you. And in the end, even after giving him all that information from Olympus Enterprises, his company never became as successful as you father and uncle's."

I stared at her for a while, searching her eyes to see if she was really telling the truth. But I couldn't find it. All I saw in her green orbs was a need and desperation that made my chest constrict. I locked my jaw. "Leave," I said quietly,my voice barely above a whisper.

She shook her head, her red curls bouncing like a flicker of flames. "Percy, please-"

"What the hell do you want?" I snarled. "Haven't you done enough already. Now go. I'm pretty sure you remember the way out."

"Percy, please," she said quietly, walking a few more steps closer to me until she was pressed right up against me. She stared into my eyes, flickering over my face. She slowly brought up a hand to stroke my cheek, her red-painted fingernails scraping lightly against my skin.

"You haven't changed a bit," she whispered. "You're still the same gorgeous man I fell in love with."

I caught the hand that was caressing my face, pulling it away. "What do you want?" I asked quietly, an exhausted undertone to my voice. She no longer had that effect on me, the one where a single touch from her would make me sink to my knees and be at her beck and call. There was only one woman now that had that effect on me. And that woman was waiting for me to come home safe and sound.

"I want you, Percy," she breathed softly, suddenly pushing me back until the back of my knees bumped against my bed. Her green eyes glinted with a sudden malice that made me want to jab a gun against her forehead.

"I want you to be mine again," she whispered, pushing me down. "I want there to be an 'us' once again."

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I poured myself a glass of water, watching as the clear liquid spilled into the cup. My throat was suddenly itchy and dry, and I quickly brought the glass up to my lips and swallowed the thirst-quenching water.

It oddly amazed me how something lacking so much taste could be so delicious at certain times. It was tasteless and plain, yet it brought so much flavor to your mouth that you couldn't help resist but taking another greedy sip. Yet, there was never flavor there to begin with.

It reminded me of the one feeling I never want anything to do with anymore- love.

There was no taste to that feeling. No flavor whatsoever. Yet when you were filled with it, when you were practically drinking that feeling in, it filled you with so much delicious relief that left you wanting more. There was nothing special about it, but when you try it out the moment you need it most, it is so achingly mouthwatering and pleasant, you are instantly addicted to it, drinking it all in until there is none left. And then it's gone. Until you refill it up later. And only when you're ready to experience that delectable taste once again.

I finished the water up, placing the glass in the sink and beginning to rinse it off. It was already late, about ten o'clock already. I sighed, anxiety and distress filling me up once again. When would Percy come back? Will he even return? I bit the inside of my cheek. I would have to wait and be patient. Except those were tasks I didn't enjoy much.

But I had to keep grasping onto that one last ounce of hope I carried, that itty-bitty speck that would be gone as soon as it is blown away. And if anyone were to blow it away, it would be me.

* * *

I went back upstairs some time later, having eaten a sandwich and had some milk. I was getting hungrier, I noticed. My tiny amount of consuming food was leaving me famished. I'd definitely lost some weight, yet I felt stronger than I had before. When I'd looked in the mirror when I'd gone to the bathroom, I'd been surprised to see my arms were more toned than they'd ever been. My gray eyes were steelier, an icy cold glint in them that even startled me. My eyes were rimmed with dark circles from lack of sleep, yet I still held myself with alert and sudden steadyness that surprised me. But what scared me was the haunted look on my face as I stared back at my reflection. I looked as if I'd seen my own family get killed before my eyes, as if I'd had everything I'd once loved taken away from me. I might as well have, I sure felt like it.

I shuddered at the memory of my appearance, and as I walked closer to my room, I hesitated before going in. I suddenly turned and swiftly began to walk in the direction of Percy's room, a sudden tug deep in my stomach that was pulling me towards it. I was confused. If Percy had come home, he would have told me. So why did I have the sudden urge to go into his room? As a reminder, a comfort of him? Yet as I neared the door to his room, I heard a thump coming from inside his room, and my heart jumped.

My heart pounding, I placed my hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. Was it him? Why hadn't he told me he was back? Why had he returned so early? What if it was Jason or one of the others?

I swung the door open, and sure enough, I saw a familiar leather jacket lying on the floor.

My lips stretched into a smile, my body relaxing with relief. "Oh, Percy, thank God-"

The words died in my throat as I walked further into the room, my eyes landing on the scene taking place on his bed.

Sure enough, he was there all right. Right under a woman with curly fiery hair and grabbing her by the head, the woman straddling him and grabbing his face as she kissed him passionately.

I could not resist the gasp that ripped into my throat. I staggered back, slamming into the wall behind me.

The noise alerted Percy and the woman on top of him. He seemed to struggle as he shoved her off of him, and there he was, his beautiful green eyes boring into mine. The woman had landed on the floor, but she didn't seem to care. She was smiling right at me.

I felt tears flood my eyes. I felt as if I had gotten the wind knocked out of me, and I suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe. I felt the sharp jab of pain and utter _hurt_ stab my chest as I registered the fact that Percy had been kissing another woman. He hadn't even come to tell me he was here. He'd gone straight into his room to make out with a whole other woman.

" _How could you?"_ I croaked, my voice coming out sharper than I'd expected. I glared right at him. He looked angry, distressed, desperate.

"Annabeth, wait-" he said, walking towards me.

" _No!"_ I screamed, managing to yell over the sobs threatening to rack through my body. "Stay away from me. I can't even _look_ at you right now!"

Tears ran freely down my face, and I swallowed hard. "Don't come near me ever again."

I turned and fled the room, slamming the door behind me.

I had to get out of here. I couldn't anymore. All that care and passion, thrown to waste, for a third time.

I walked quickly down the stairs, managing not to trip over myself as tears blinded me and sobs racked through my throat.

As I reached the last step, I felt someone grab my arm. I whipped around to see Percy right there, his face pained and filled with such despair it made my chest hurt even more than it already did.

"Annabeth, dont leave. Please-"

"Percy, let me go!" I screamed, tearing my arm from his grip. I wiped away the tears on my face furiously, but it was no use. They still kept coming.

"And why shouldn't I?" I questioned, my voice hoarse and sounding so utterly defeated and angry. "I trusted you, Percy! And once again, look where that fucking got me. You said you were different. I'm stupid for ever believing you!"

I painful sob tore through my throat, and I tried hard to swallow down all my anger and pain. Percy's face flashed with hurt.

"It was all a mistake, Annabeth. Please, hear me out-"

A white hot burst of anger rose up my throat, spreading through all my body until it arrived to the tip of my fingers. My hand flew, slapping right across his cheek, the sting in my hand barely noticeable. I felt numb, so completely _done._

"Don't tell me that," I choked, watching his stunned expression as his cheek slowly turned red. "I don't want to hear it. I thought you were different. I thought you would help me learn to love again. I cared for you, so much. Do you know how worried I was when you left? And you didn't even bother to come tell me you were okay when you came back. Even when you _knew_ how much I was praying for you to be safe."

My voice lowered to a whisper, my tears blotting out my vision. "And now I pray to God that I never see you again."

Percy looked like he was about to sink to his knees and start to beg for forgiveness, but I wouldn't take it. But as blind as I was through my thick and heavy tears, I saw his eyes shining. That made me sob even harder.

"Annabeth-" he said, his voice breaking. "Let me explain-"

I stifled a sob, clenching my teeth hard. "Give me your motorcycle keys."

He started to shake his head. " _Now,"_ I choked through gritted teeth.

He stared me right in the eye as he reached for his back pocket and pulled them out, the jingling of the keys filling up the eerie silence filling the house. He dropped them into my hand, his eyes full of pain.

"Annabeth, please," he pleaded, his voice quiet.

"Goodbye, Percy," I whispered.

Then I turned and ran out of the house. And I didn't look back.

* * *

I sped through the streets, trying to control the aching sobs that racked through my chest. It was too much. This pain was too intense. I felt like a knife was repeatedly being stabbed into my chest, right where my heart was.

I veered the corner of the street, coming to a stop on the motorcycle. I got off of it on shaky legs, my body trembling with sobs as I stumbled down the sidewalk.

A wail resonated out of my throat, the image of Percy and that girl replaying in my mind over and over again. I'd thought he was different. I'd thought he would actually be the man I would be able to trust and care for.

I shouldn't feel so much agony. I shouldn't be crying over a man I did not love. Yet still, my cries and sobs wouldn't die down. I won't calm down. My last bit of hope for a man to actually be loyal and kind and caring, blown away. I officially lost all my hope.

I continued to walk around the empty streets, the moonlight and dim lamps all around creating a pathway for me. I didn't even know where I was going. Where would I go? I was too far from my Mother's penthouse. I was too far from mine. I couldn't stay at a hotel, looking like this. I had no where to go.

My shoulders slumped with exhaustion as I continued to cry, the name _Percy_ flashing again and again in my mind. This couldn't be happening. I did not just run away from HQ, from the protection of the others.

 _Stay at HQ,_ Jordan's warning echoed through my mind. _Do not leave the house._

I almost laughed. I couldn't stay there. Not anymore. I can't remain being protected by the one man who promised me the most safety, the one who said he'd be there for me. The man who'd kill anyone to keep me alive.

But there was that word again. _Promise._ There was no relief in that word. It was just a single word, but it was one that people said because they knew the person they were promising to _trusted_ them. That was my mistake. I had left myself unguarded and trusted Percy. Now I was running away from him for it.

I wiped my tears away furiously, swallowing and a whimper escaped my throat. "Oh, Percy," I choked, his troubled green eyes flashing through my mind. I felt a strong churning in my stomach, the feeling just exclaiming _wrong._ And I knew it. There was something wrong.

Suddenly, a shadow enveloped me from behind. I froze, goosebumps instantly trailing along my skin. The person behind me wrapped their arms around me, pulling me flush against them. I struggled, kicking and squirming as they covered my mouth and nose with a piece of cloth. _Chloroform._ My eyes widened in alarm, my heart beat increasing and thumping loudly against my rib cage.

 _Don't breath, don't breath, don't breathe,_ I chanted over and over as I continued to kick and struggle. But I knew the effects would only kick in in five minutes, I couldn't hold my breath that long and try to escape.

The person holding me was definitely a man, one arm wrapped tightly around me while the other snaked around my neck to hold the cloth over my nose and mouth.

I was already starting to feel dizzy. My lungs were burning, and I had to breathe. I gasped for air, the dizzying smell invading my nose and mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut. _Oh no._

My movements started to slow, my body starting to feel numb. I was losing. I couldn't fight back. Not with this disadvantage.

I started to slump against the man, my vision starting to dim.

I suddenly felt hot breath against my neck, my skin instantly prickling.

"I told you I'd be back for you, Annababe," he whispered. "Miss me?"

My eyes widened. Only one person ever called me that horrible nickname.

One name echoed through my mind as I slipped into unconsciousness. The name of the person holding me right now.

 _Luke..._

* * *

 **HOLY FUCK PLEASE DON'T KILL ME**

 **Welp, I'm honestly asking for a death wish in this chapter.**

 **So sorry it's so short, but I mean, I didn't wanna overwhelm you guys there... *Cough* haha. I haven't written a chapter this short in a long ass time. Not sure if I have that whole shit with the cloth right but if I don't, please PM me or comment.**

 **I have nothing to say, except that I love you guys so very much and pleasedontkillmeIhadtoandIwastemptedtothrottlemyselffordoingthattoyouguyspleaseforgiveme. Sorry not sorry.**

 **LOVE YOU ALL!**

 **~R.I.P Kat**


	42. Chapter 41

**Hey, my loves ((: as an I'm sorry for that cliffy and all the shit that went down, I updated early! But, welp I died, cuz y'all ganged up on me. This is my corpse writing this right now, so hope you guys enjoy :p someone better write my obituary.**

 _ **WizardHalfbloodGeek:**_ **IM SO SORRY!**

 ** _Meistar:_ Imma go hide under my bed now- Great now I told you where I am. Whoops. And IM SO TERRIBLY SORRY! They'll be back though. Percabeth always finds it's way back. And yes, I understand. I will apologize.**

 _ **istar144:**_ **ILL FIX IT PLEASEDONTKILLME.**

 _ **qwerty:**_ **Thank you! Now I know why Uncle Rick enjoys cliffhangers so much XD and I updated as soon as possible! Hope you like it ((:**

 _ **FuddyDuddy-strikehedonia:**_ **Ha, I like that, boom. It was wasnt it? Anyway, thank you! Im glad i got your heart pumping. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Thank you! And yeah, I was planning on it. I thought it'd make more sense. Also, I wanted to keep you guys in suspense for what was happening to Annabeth. And thank you so much! Im glad my story's captured your attention enough to keep reading. And I sure will! I do think you should write your own story ((:**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **No problem bbg! And as for what happened, IM SORRY! But you're right, about two things. One, no one likes Percy and Rachel together, (except the Perachel shippers *shudders*) and two, it will be cute when Percy goes out to look for her. As for school, I hope you feel better ): school can be so awful and tiring. If you need time off, then take it. School is so annoying, you just sometimes need a break. But anyway, ilysfm, take care, oh and ily.**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **)))': I'm sorry.**

 _ **julia:**_ **Im glad you're excited! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **They should go, shouldn't they? And uh oh, keep drinking that coffee. Sorry for stressing you out. But that's how I know I'm doing my job :D woe, that's really mean. BUT ANYWAY, hope you're getting enough sleep and life's being good to you. I'll pray for you.**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thank you for your forgiveness. I appreciate it, since everyone else has my death sentence made. *Sighs* yeah, I know. But thank you so much! You're too kind ≤33**

 _ **Amin DUncan-Pope:**_ **Unfortunately, it's the real deal, my friend.**

 _ **Niki4ever:**_ **Yep, a cliffhanger. And I'll try to. Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter (:**

 _ **Greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **...I'll give you a second there to calm down... Okay? Okay. Anyway, I'm so sorry! It just had to happen (jeez I say that a lot) but im sorry. Things will get better though. I'm not saying when, but they will. I hope you get better and resist your urges to hunt me down :3 I love you too! And have I told you how much I like your profile picture? It's so adorable!**

 _ **awade0143:**_ **Haha, I'm totally fine with that too! And thank you! The way I'm grooving is super risky. I'mma die. Anyway, thank you! *Curtseys* I try my very best to mess up people's emotions like that :D Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **Hm, you seem to be one step ahead of the others. It's making me nervous. But kudos to you for that. Guess I'm not as unpredictable as I thought I was. And Goddamn, this chapter's gonna prove that big time. And yes indeed, it's gonna be awesome. As thanks for the sympathy. It was nice knowing ya.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Unfortunately, I do not have Rachel nor Luke's addresses. But I bet you'll find them somehow (':**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **I'm so sorry, (I've said that a lot this chapter) but it's the way things have to go. And yes, it is harsh, but what can you do? And oh my gods, that title sounds awesome XD I like it. And Annabeth _is_ smart, but can you blame her? What if you found your ex "kissing" someone out of nowhere? I'd be freaking out and not thinking straight either. And with Annabeth's past and everything, of course she'd assume Percy was kissing her back. Also, since Percy had his arms around Rachel's head, she saw that like he was holding her to him. But you get the point. As for the typos, gods I hate them. They fuck with me so much. And it's harder since I'm writing this on a tablet, believe it or not. So the typos come more frequently. Also, I don't really go back and re-read everything. I'm thinking that after I finish this story I'll go back and make any edits. If you could help me with that, that would be a HUGE help. As for the beta thing, I'd love that, but would I have to email the documents to you or something? Not sure how the whole thing works, exactly. I feel stupid XD as for Leyna, you're totally right. I'll have to add some more fluff between them in this. And thank you so much! I will! ≤33**

 _ **SaphireTrafficker:**_ **Woah, that was good. Poor Annabeth. In your version, she definitely seems more conflicted. But I was good. And I get what you mean about Percabeth drama. It's not interesting unless there is some, as much as it makes me sad. But thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Justme:**_ **HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER DONT FLIP**

 _ **Guest:**_ ***sighs" it's a cruel world. And I'll keep that in mind when I wanna beg for your guy's forgiveness :D**

 _ **percabethlover:**_ ***sobbing and rocking myself* I WAS TOO. AND IM SO SORRY. IMMA JOIN YOU IN YOUR CRYING FEST. TYSM THOUGH. LOVE YA**

 _ **Guest:**_ **AND I LOVE YOU SO THANKS**

 _ **Anonymous Girl:**_ **I'm so sorry )': and I love cliffhangers. Fills me with a sort of excitement that just makes me want to scream. And oh my gods, you don't know how true that is.**

 _ **Gwpfp:**_ **Oh my gods, your comment made me laugh so hard. It was just so unexpected from the others, since they're all death threats, it took me by surprise. My sister looked at me like I was high or something. Hope you're okay though. Didn't mean to surprise you or whatever XD hope you like this chapter and try not to suffocate on any more food (':**

 _ **Zeppelin0219:**_ **Even if those words were directed at me, I wouldn't have minded. I deserve it, and im used to being called those names :3 but anyway, I'm so sorry! Please let your heart be okay )':**

 _ **bunnies4life:**_ **Glad you love it! And I hope by bad you mean good, cause I try my hardest to make those cliffys the best (; hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, I only own the cliffhangers and plot twists that will be the death of me :3**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I watched as Annabeth's princess curls disappeared from my view, the amount of force she used to slam the front door feeling like a punch to the gut.

My mouth was dry. I felt as if someone had just torn me in half. My heart felt as if it were shriveling into nothingness. It was gone.

I swallowed hard, clenching my fists, suddenly remembering who was the cause of all this. I stormed up the stairs, heading to my room and slamming the door open.

Rachel was sitting on the bed, but when she saw me enter, she smiled and rose to meet me. I wordlessly strode over to her and wrapped my hands around her neck, slamming her to the wall.

"What the fuck is your game?" I snarled through gritted teeth, my voice angry even to my own ears. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"P-Percy, you're hurting me," she whimpered, clawing at my hands.

"Good," I growled. I shook her slightly. "Because of you Annabeth ran away. Do you have an idea what you just did? You made me hurt her in the worst way possible. _Now answer me."_

"I wanted to be with you again, Percy," she choked out, her voice strained. "I still love you-"

"Don't give me that shit, Rachel!" I snapped, my hands tightening. "Why'd you fucking kiss me? You wouldn't get off of me you stupid bitch."

"Percy, please," she was crying now, her green eyes clear. The gesture didn't have any effect on me. I didn't feel pity or guilt. Instead, her tears just made my hands tightened even more around her neck.

" _Tell me,"_ I snarled, my voice laced with fury.

"That blonde slut is gone," she whispered, a smile suddenly gracing her lips. "They took her. You won't find her."

Just as I was about to smash her head into the wall for calling Annabeth that, my door flew open, and Thalia and Jason ran in, their faces alert and guarded.

"What the fuck is going on?" Jason demanded, his blue eyes dark. "All we heard was screaming and-"

Thalia's eyes settled on Rachel, and her features contorted into one of pure hatred and anger, the look almost making me want to step back.

"What the hell," she said, her voice deathly calm, "is she doing here?"

Jason's eyes narrowed, his mouth setting in a hard line. " _Rachel,"_ he snarled through gritted teeth, his eyes turning darker than they already were.

I tightened my hands around her neck, squeezing. " _Talk."_

"I... can't...breathe," she gasped, her face turning as red as her hair. She dug her nails into my forearms, but I could barely feel it. I was going to _kill her._

I suddenly let go of her, and she slumped to the floor, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.

"Where the fuck is she?" I growled, clenching my fists. "Who took her?"

She placed a hand on her neck, shaking her head and managing a chuckle. "I can't say."

"Tell me," I hissed through gritted teeth, reaching out a hand to grip her by her hair. "Or so help me I will drive my knife right through your pretty little head."

"You wouldn't do that," she smiled, the gesture more like a grimace. "You can't."

"Maybe not him," Thalia snarled, suddenly beside me. She was twirling a knife in her hand, staring furiously at Rachel. "But I sure as hell can and will."

"You're wasting your time," Rachel said lightly, shrugging. "Time's ticking, and while the blonde bitch is out there running and getting chased after, you're still here with me."

My insides churned heavily, and my blood roared in my ears. "Keep her here," I told Jason and Thalia, my voice hoarse. "I have to go check the cameras."

* * *

I raced through the halls of the house, trying to reach the monitoring room as fast as possible. I slammed the door open, rushing to the cameras.

I quicky directed the cameras' focus to the streets of Manhattan. She could be anywhere. I kept changing through the cameras I'd had Travis and Connor and some other members set up around the city, each blondeless frame filling me with dread.

And then I saw her.

She was walking, or more like stumbling, through the streets. The cameras had no sound, but by the looks of it, she was sobbing. Her shoulders were shaking violently and she was clutching her chest. The sight made me want to just run through the city and find her, curl her up into my arms and never let her go. It made me want to punch myself for causing her that pain.

Suddenly, I spotted a figure moving leisurely towards her. The moonlight made his hair look almost white, but even with the dark close and lighting, I knew it was Luke Castellan.

He then reached around Annabeth and covered her face with a hand, the other wrapping around her neck.

My hands clenched involuntarily, my vision turning red.

 _No._

"Don't touch her," I seethed, not caring if he couldn't hear me. My blood was pumping, my heart beat increasing and thumping wildly against my chest.

Annabeth struggled against him, and every part of me ached and _itched_ to be there with her, ripping Luke off of her and beating the living _shit_ out of him.

Pretty soon, I watched as Annabeth's movements came more sluggishly. She was losing conscious, and the look of her trying to fight it off made my heart ache with both pride and pain. She was fighting a fight she could not win.

Soon enough, she went limp in his arms.

" _No,"_ I whispered, feeling my heart pound. "Annabeth, wake up."

But she didn't, she stayed unmoving in his arms. He got a good hold of her and dropped something to the sidewalk, a piece of cloth, from what I could see. I instantly knew what it was. He had been holding it to her face. I clenched my jaw tightly, a newfound course of anger rushing through me, unstoppable.

Luke carried her bridal-style in his arms, her golden curls hanging loosely, her head thrown back, her eyes shut.

He turned, looking around until his eyes seemed to focus in on the camera. He smiled right at it, as if he _knew_ I was watching him. And with one last wave, he turned and started walking, the screen that displayed the camera shutting off.

I slammed my hands on the screen, making it shudder. "No, no, _fucking no,"_ I hissed through gritted teeth, trying to shake that one screen to life again. I moved to the other camera monitor screens, but none of them displayed the streets of Manhattan. Whenever I tried, the screens would only display nothing at all.

"Percy?" I heard a voice come from behind me.

I turned around to see Piper standing in the doorway. Her eyes were sunken and bloodshot, her hair unbrushed and messy. A look of distress was on her face.

"What's going on?" She asked, staring at me with worried eyes.

"They took her," I whispered. "They took Annabeth."

* * *

"What do you mean they took her?" Reyna demanded, her dark eyes blazing.

"I mean what I said, Rey," I growled, tightening my hands into fists. "Luke fucking knocked her unconscious, and then left with her. The cameras shut off after that."

"But why would they leave that camera on, and not the others?" Leo asked, running a hand through his dark curls.

"They wanted us to know that they had her," Jason said, his arms crossed and blue eyes hard and narrowed. "If we didn't, then what would be the point for them? They're taunting us. They want us to come after them. But why?"

"I don't know," I sighed, frustration and anger washing over me at once. This was too much. I couldn't handle this. I felt absolutely defeated. Without Annabeth here, I felt as if a part of my heart had crumbled into pieces, if not all of it.

Thalia glared at the tied-up and gagged figure of Rachel, propped up against the far wall of the living room.

"Stupid bitch," Thalia spat. "If she hadn't shown up, none of this shit would have happened." Her sharp blue eyes fixed themselves on me, a fierce glint in them. "Why the hell would you bring her here?"

I clenched my jaw. Why did I? I should have left her there, lying helpless on the streets. But I couldn't. The pain and longing from seeing her once again had driven me to want to help her.

"That's not important," Piper sniffled, having already had another crying fest after hearing how Annabeth had been captured. "What's important is getting Annabeth back. How will we do that?"

I glanced at Rachel, my eyes locking on hers instantly. A challenging glint danced in her green eyes, mocking me. She almost seemed to be smiling.

"I don't know," I repeated, anger rushing over me once again. I hated saying those words. I felt so pathetic and useless. I had no idea how to get Annabeth back. And while I wasted time trying to figure out how, that bastard Luke might be raping her as we speak.

The thought set my nerves on fire, and I swallowed hard, trying to contain my fury. He would not touch her. If he laid a single finger on her, he'd lose all of them in return.

"I'm going to go to the warehouse Travis and Connor are keeping Jordan in," I announced, standing up. "I'm also taking her there to lock her up," I nodded at Rachel, who's eyes flashed with mirth.

"What do we do?" Nico asked, the first thing he'd said this whole time we'd been talking. His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken and darker than the shadows themselves. He looked tired, defeated, hopeless. I hated seeing him like this.

"You guys talk and look over the cameras. Try to find a way to get them back on again. I'll be back as soon as possible," I said, my eyes sweeping over them. I narrowed my eyes, locking my jaw. "And _no one_ leaves HQ."

* * *

Ten minutes later, I'd thrown Rachel into the backseat of one of the BMW's and was speeding through the streets, heading towards HQ.

My hands were clutching the wheel hard, my knuckles turning white. My head was pounding, and my stomach was churning uncontrollably.

Thoughts about Annabeth were racing through my head, the image of her gorgeous face reappearing my mind. What was happening to her? What could Luke be doing to her? Did she hate me now? Would I find her? Would I ever see her again?

I swallowed hard, my heart feeling as if it were being squeezed. My whole body ached to be next to her. I needed to touch her. I needed to talk to her. I had to get her back. I needed her to be safe. The one thing I'd been trying to do this whole time, the one thing I'd been focused on, was keeping her safe. And now, oh the irony, she was in danger, because of me.

But ever since the start, she'd been in danger. The moment she met me, her vulnerability had gone off the charts. I shouldn't have brought her to HQ. I shouldn't have recruited her into The Olympians. I should have left her there unconscious once I'd saved her, and left. But I just couldn't. Seeing her there, lying with her eyes closed, only to wake up who knows when and maybe with no memory of what had happened, pained me so much. I'd been attracted to her the moment I laid eyes on her. I couldn't let her go. I couldn't keep her out of my sight. And along with those things, I couldn't keep her safe.

I'd had nightmares various nights, about her being lost and alone in the city of Manhattan. I'd dreamed of her walking in the streets unprotected, only to have strangers dressed in black come after her and kidnap her. She'd suddenly turn and _look_ at me, screaming my name, but I could not get to her, I could not save her. I had woken up, sweating and breathing hard, my heart pounding. The nights she had slept with me, whenever I had those dreams and woke up panicking, I saw her there, soundly asleep, and curled my arms around her and pulled her tightly to me, kissing her and saying over and over to myself that she was okay. She was here with me. She was safe. The nights she wasn't sleeping with me, I found my body moving on its own accord, rushing to her room and opening the door to make sure she was safe and still near me.

The thought of her getting hurt, people taking her away from me...it filled me with a fear I had never, ever felt before. But it was the strong and painful amount of care and fierce protectiveness I had over her that scared me. Now, I felt as if my heart had been ripped out, all those feelings lost somewhere, gone, just like she was.

I looked in the rearview mirror to see Rachel watching me intently, her green eyes bright and incredulous as they studied my face, my eyes, my expression.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and suddenly saw what she could see. I looked vulnerable, scared even. I looked angry and helpless. I looked like I was fifteen again, coming home to see my house on fire, and finding my mother gone. I tried so hard to always keep these emotions hidden, only letting my anger show. That was the only emotion I ever counted on. My anger was the thing that empowered me the most. It was the thing that drove me to complete all my missions and keep my family safe. But the others... I always hid them from the world. No one could see me, Percy Jackson, looking so lost and vulnerable.

But now, Rachel, of all people, could see those emotions, the ones that the people I knew didn't think I could ever feel. But I did. I just kept them hidden, underneath all my anger.

I quickly wiped off all emotions from my face. I blinked, and there I was again. My jaw locked, eyes narrowed and emotionless, face impassive. This was what people saw when they looked at me. And this is what they would keep seeing.

* * *

I reached into the car and yanked Rachel by the arm, causing her to shriek in protest as her whole body came stumbling out of the car.

"Shut up," I snapped, closing the door.

She raised an eyebrow at me and looked like she was smirking, even behind her gag. I felt my skin prickle with irritation. She wanted to get under my skin, that's exactly what she wanted to do. Well, I wouldn't let her.

I kept my expression indifferent as I tugged her along, walking in the direction of the warehouse.

She said something, only to be muffled by the gag. I glanced at her, gritting my teeth. I pulled down the gag on her mouth, glaring at her.

"What is it?" I quipped, not losing my stride.

"What _are_ you?" She questioned, her voice incredulous, yet I could just _hear_ that mocking undertone in her voice. "You do not _just_ help your Father with Olympic Enterprises."

"I'm sure you know the answer to that," I replied, keeping my tone icy cold and collected.

She peered at me as I tugged her, stopping in front of the padlock and proceeding to scan my hand on the pad.

"You love her, don't you?"

The question almost made me freeze my movements and stumble to the floor. I tried hard to keep no emotions from flitting across my face, even though the question filled me with dread and sorrow.

"This isn't about love, Rachel," I snarled, finishing off my administrations. The door began to open. "You made me stop feeling that a long time ago."

I pushed her inside. "Now shut up." I placed the gag back on her mouth, her eyes flashing with irritation.

The door shut behind us, and just as I was about to head in the direction of the cells, I heard someone call my name.

I turned to see Connor and Katie walking towards me, all smiling, until their eyes landed on Rachel.

Katie went pale, while Connor narrowed his eyes as his expression turned guarded.

Connor opened his mouth to what I knew was to demand why she was here, but I cut him off before he could utter a word.

"No, I did not bring her here for a visit," I said, my voice crisp.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Oh really? I thought you were, considering you have her tied up and gagged and all."

Ignoring him, I continued. "I brought her here to lock her up in a cell."

Katie's eyes widened. "Why?"

Connor scoffed. "You should've done that a long time ago, man. But I mean, go right ahead. No one's gonna stop you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Annabeth's been kidnapped, and I'm pretty sure this bitch is working with the guys who've been fucking with us."

Katie's eyes were big and alarmed. "Makes sense," she suddenly swiveled on me, placing her hands on her hips and pursing her lips in a way that reminded me of her mother. Demeter did that a lot. Her stare was accusatory and bewildered. "But they took _Annabeth?_ How? Where were you? How could you leave her out of your sight?"

I felt my chest tighten, and I swallowed, trying to keep my voice from breaking as I spoke. "That's not important right now. I'll explain everything later. Right now, I need to put her in a cell and talk to Jordan. I _know_ he knows something. Where's Travis?"

"He's training with some of the recruits and other members," Katie replied, worrying her bottom lip. "Do you need him?"

"Yes, I do," I said. "Can you fetch him for me?" Katie nodded. She have one last disdainful glance at Rachel, and then she was off.

I turned to Connor. "I'm going to need you to put Rachel in a cell. Far from Jordan's. Maybe in a whole other room of cells. After you're done, meet me outside the cell room Jordan's in. Got it?"

Connor nodded. "All right," he took Rachel by the arm and started leading her away, a harsh grip on her arm. As she turned to match up to his pace so she wasn't stumbling, she seemed to grin around her gag, and gave me a wink.

They were subtle, small gestures. Yet they brought chills onto my body that left me feeling cold, even after she was out of sight.

* * *

I strode into the cell room, quickly walking towards his cell and unlocking it, along with his handcuffs. I walked in there just as he stood up, clearly confused.

"What the he-"

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Hard.

"Where the fuck is she?" I growled, pressing him into the wall.

"The fuck? Where's who?" He questioned, his voice strained.

"Annabeth, you fucking bastard. Luke took her," I replied, my tone angry even to my own ears.

"Annabeth?" He repeated, laughing slightly. "I was wondering when she'd get her ass kidnapped."

"What the hell do you mean?" I inquired, slamming him back against the wall again. He winced. "You knew they were going to take her, didn't you?"

"I tried to warn her," he replied, his voice suddenly quiet. "I told her not to leave your side, not to leave HQ. But women, they never listen."

"You tried to warn her?" I asked, bewildered. Annabeth hadn't told me any of this. I shook my head, glaring at him. "The only thing she said was that you told her that if she made one wrong move, she'd die. That isn't exactly comforting or helpful."

"But it was the truth," he replied smoothly, his voice cool. "She made the wrong move of leaving HQ, and now she's gonna die for it. I think those were very helpful words."

"Where are they taking her?" I demanded, fisting my hands in his shirt even tighter.

"The same place where they're keeping her Mother," he responded lightly.

"And where the fuck is that?" I snarled.

"Can't say."

" _Yes you can,"_ I hissed, my hands twitching to pull out my gun and shoot him in the face. But I couldn't. He knew stuff. But then again, he wouldn't talk. He wouldn't be useful.

"Look," he said, his steel blue eyes glinting in the dark. "I'mma just tell you that you'll get your information soon. Not saying that you'll be pleased with it, because, boy it'll make you angry. But then again, what's new? Give it two days. You might see Annabeth again. Not sure you'll get her back, though."

"And how will I get this information?" I asked, dread coiling in my stomach like an iron cold snake.

"Through video," he said simply.

I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. "If I don't get this so-called information in two days, I'm coming back for you. And you're either going to tell me where she is, or you die. It's your choice."

He stared back at me, his face impassive. "Fine."

I let him go, his shirt all wrinkled up from the vice-grip I'd had on it. I began to walk out of the cell, closing the door behind me and walking back to the keypad, locking him back up again.

As I passed his cell, I could hear him chuckle, the sound dry and bitter.

"Honestly, Jackson, I don't know how you haven't caught on to what they want. It's so simple. Think of all those grudges. Think of Luke Castellan. Of Hermes Express. His father. Don't you realize anything? Because of that cluelessness, Annabeth's going to die."

I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to go back into that cell and best the shit out of him. Instead, I managed to reply, my voice quiet and menacing.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

Connor and Travis and Katie were standing outside of the cell room when I got out. Travis instantly frowned when he saw me.

"Dude," he said. "You look like shit. What happened?"

Katie elbowed him in the ribs, emitting a grunt from him.

"Travis," she scolded, her green eyes darkening and lips pursing together. "You don't just say that to someone you moron. Be more considerate, will you?"

He held up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying-"

"It's fine," I said, cutting him off. I ran a hand through my hair. "I wanted to talk to you guys about finding Annabeth?"

"What?" Travis asked, bemused. "Why would we be looking for her?"

"Because she was kidnapped, dumbass," Connor answered, giving him a look that you would only give to the most retarded person in the world.

"Who?" Travis asked, clearly confused.

Katie sighed in exasperation. "I don't know, Travis. Who's been after us this whole time and has been targeting us? It obviously can't be them, right?"

Travis frowned, looking deep in thought. "So...it was them or it wasn't?"

"Guys," I snapped, gritting my teeth. "Travis, you idiot, it was them. I wanted to discuss places to send different members to go looking for her. Along with finding Annabeth, we might find Athena as well."

"Good point," Katie said, crossing her arms and tapping her fingernails on both arms. "So where were you planning to send us?"

"I was thinking of making you three lead the members in this warehouse to Upper East Manhattan. Search every building in that area. I'll contact Clarisse and Frank and Hazel and tell them to lead others downtown. I'll be trying to figure out another plan with the Olympians at HQ if we don't find her. Got it?"

They all nodded. I took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm down my churning stomach. "Good. You guys leave tomorrow morning. Stay out there as long as you can. And be careful. I don't want any more dead members. Stick close, but spread out."

"All right, Perce," Connor said, nodding solemnly. "We'll start to map out a plan right now."

I nodded. "Okay." I looked at them, my mouth set in a tight line. "Good luck."

Travis and Connor mock-saluted and left. Katie stayed behind. She peered at me with worried and reassuring eyes. She surprised me by enveloping me in a hug, holding me tight.

"Don't worry, Percy," she said quietly, pulling back to give me a small smile. "We'll find her."

I sighed, shaking my head. "I can only hope, Katie."

She leaned up to give me a sisterly peck on the cheek. She locked her leaf green eyes on me, suddenly serious.

"That's the only thing you should be doing, Percy," she whispered. "Ignore all that pain and sadness and anger in your heart. Just hope."

* * *

I arrived home feeling ready to collapse. My nerves were on edge, and I was itching for someone to take all my pent up anger out on. Rachel was gone, so I couldn't do it to her. Unfortunately.

The house was quiet when I went in, so I assumed everyone was downstairs looking at the cameras. I didn't feel like going down there to join them; I felt just about ready to throw up.

I walked into my room, slamming the door behind me. My blood was boiling as the thought of Annabeth entered my mind once again. The sudden image of her lying in a cold, dark cellar, helpless and sobbing uncontrollably appeared in my head, and I felt my chest compress and bile rise up my throat.

I swallowed hard, taking deep breaths. I shook my head and sunk onto my bed, burying my face in my hands. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't be without her any longer. My heart was aching and shrinking smaller and smaller as the hours passed by. It was late already, and she'd only been gone for about six hours, but it already felt like a whole year.

I saw something wet hit my jeans, darkening the black fabric even more. Another drop fell, and then another. It was only when I rubbed my face with my hand that I realized I was crying. Now realizing it, more began to fall.

I always tried my hardest to prevent myself from crying. I don't like it. It makes me seem weak. The only times I ever cry are when I think about my Mother, gone forever. I used to cry about Rachel, and now this about it, fills me with disgust. But now crying about Annabeth...gone and alone and out of my possession fills my heart with an intense amount of sadness and anger, just enough to make me cry.

My shoulders shook as I cried harder, and I clenched my fists. This is all my fault. Annabeth is gone because of me. She's getting hurt because of me. I should've stayed with her. I could've waited to go looking for Athena. But I couldn't. It hurt me so much to see Annabeth so sad, so desperate to find her Mother. It was almost like I was the one who's mother had been kidnapped.

My blood was roaring in my ears. I was angry. At myself, Luke, Jordan, Rachel, the whole world. Annabeth shouldn't have to pay for all the shit I go around doing. But it's all that shit that actually makes me feel _good._ And now, because of what I spend my life doing, Annabeth's going to die because of it.

I heard a knock on the door, and slowly, it opened. Not thinking, I whipped one of the many knives out of my nightstand drawer and threw it in the direction of the door. It landed with a thud in the door frame, centimeters away from hitting Jason and Piper, who both stared at it wide-eyed.

"Sorry," I muttered, running a hand over my face, wiping away any tears left. "Come in."

"Percy?" Piper said gently, walking towards me cautiously, as if I was some cornered animal. "Are you all right?"

Jason shut the door behind him, walking over to me as well.

I was about to tell her that I was, that she should be getting some sleep and get some rest because she needed it. To not worry about me. Ask them if they were all right. Find a way to turn the conversation on them. That's what I always did. But right now, as newfound tears flooded my eyes, I could not bring myself to do it.

"No," I croaked, my voice breaking. "I'm not, Pipes."

"Oh, Percy," she whispered, sitting down next to me and wrapping me up in a hug,reading her face into my shoulder. "Don't cry. Then you'll make me cry."

"Dude," Jason said, his voice quiet. "What's the matter?"

"Everything, man," I said, laughing bitterly. "I thought you figured that out by now."

He said nothing, sitting down on the other side of me. He looked at me, his expression strange. Then again, not often did they see me cry.

"What did Jordan say?" He inquired.

"The bastard said I'd get the information I needed soon," I replied, my voice brittle. "That he'd warned Annabeth not to leave my side."

"It's not your fault, Percy," Piper said quietly, her voice wavering.

"Of course it is!" I growled, standing up. They stared at me with wide eyes. I shook my head, tears burning in my eyes. "It's all my fault. I had one thing to do, and that was to protect her and keep her safe. And now, because of me, she-" my voice broke, and I swallowed hard. "She could die. Of course it's my fault, Pipes."

"Don't say that," she said, tears flowing out of her eyes and onto her flushed cheeks. "Annabeth is one of the strongest women I've ever met. If anyone can survive whatever they have in store, it's Annabeth."

"Piper's right," Jason said, keeping his eyes leveled with mine, his face ever so calm. "You shouldn't keep beating yourself over Annabeth's kidnapping. The more you do that, the more harder it will be for you to find her. You'll get her back, Perce. You just have to keep your head cleared and keep being The Olympian leader everyone's always looked up to."

"We need you more than ever now, Percy," Piper said quietly, not bothering to wipe away her tears. "Everyone's scared, more than they've ever been. But they're not showing it, because they know that you'll lead us all out of this awful mess. I do too. So please, Percy," she whispered, standing up. "Please don't break. We'll get Annabeth back. Even if it's the last thing we do."

Piper's words were finally broke the dam holding back my tears, and they began to fall, tickling my cheek. Piper let out a sob and encased me in a hug, holding me tight.

"We just want you to be happy and safe, Percy," she whispered, her voice breaking.

I hugged her back, hard, breathing in her soothing scent of honeysuckle. "And I thank you for that."

But right now, the last person that deserved to be happy was me.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

A bright white light flashed behind my closed eyelids, and I groaned, blinking and squinting through the harsh light that filled the room.

"What? Where..." The words died in my throat as I remembered the events that happened earlier. Catching Percy kissing that woman. Running from HQ. Walking alone in the dark streets. And finally, Luke placing a cloth over my mouth and nose as I slipped into unconsciousness.

My breathing began to quicken as I took in my surroundings, my heart and head pounding.

 _I told you I'd be back for you._

Those were some of the last words I heard Luke whisper into my ears before I blacked out. Where had he taken me? I was seated in a wooden chair, my hands tied behind my back and feet tied around the chair legs. It was an empty room, four cement walls surrounding me and closing me in. A metal door was facing me, mocking me, my only way of escape.

Bile rose in my throat, and I suddenly felt sick. What have I done? Why did I run from HQ? Where was I?

I felt the familiar sensation of tears flooding my eyes, burning and pricking my eyes.

How long had I been in here? I tried hard to think of a way to escape, but I was panicking too much to think straight. I took a deep breath. _Calm down, Annabeth._

The chair was wooden...maybe if I flipped right enough, I could break it. Even better, without breaking a bone in my body. A plan slowly started to form in my mind, but my thoughts were interrupted as the metal door began to creak open.

I swallowed and shut my eyes, making my head fall limp so it could appear I was still unconscious. I slowed my breathing and tried hard not to open my eyes as the door slammed shut and a pair of footsteps walked in. Only one person, from what I was hearing, had entered the room.

The footsteps grew louder as they approached me, every step filling me with dread. They suddenly stopped, the room instantly going quiet.

For a beat, I thought they would buy my act of still being unconscious, but that was until the person spoke.

"I know you're conscious now."

My heart stopped. I vaguely recognized that voice, but I hadnt heard it in so long, I was sure I was mistaking it. I sure hoped I was.

"Look at me," the voice, male, snapped. He spoke formally, with a calmness that you had to listen carefully in order to hear the irritation hidden underneath.

I gulped and opened my eyes, locking them on a pair of expensive looking dress shoes. I slowly rose my head, my eyes trailing over the man's broad frame before finally looking at his face.

I gasped, feeling like I'd just gotten the wind knocked out of me. I was sure that if I was standing, I wouldn't have been able to hold myself upright.

"You..." My voice broke, and i felt my throat close up. No. It can't be him.

But it was. I'd seen that face everyday as a child. The one face that always looked at me with hatred and disgrace, as if I was the bane of his existence. The one man I'd given unconditional love to, no matter how much he never returned that love.

Tears flowed out of my eyes, and I looked into those blue eyes, icy cold as ever.

But those eyes were supposed to be _closed. Lifeless._

Yet here they were, staring back at me with as much life as possible.

My voice was like I was five years old again, calling after the one man who would never love me as he should. Breaking and soft and desperate.

"Daddy."

* * *

 **Holy. Shit.**

 **PleasedontkillmeforthatcliffyIcouldnthelpit.**

 **I'm a die again. Didn't know that could happen.**

 **Welp, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I have nothing else to say because I wanna get the fuck out of here before you guys come after me with flamethrowers and God knows what else.**

 **BUT OMFGS, WE'RE ALMOST REACHING 500 REVIEWS! MY DREAM GOAL! THANKS YOU GUYS!**

 **Bye. Ily guys...haha**

 **~R.I.P Kat- December 3rd, 2017**

 **Death caused by crazy readers repeatedly stabbing her with books.**


	43. Chapter 42

**HEY EVERYONE! HOLY SHIT, WE MADE IT! OVER 500 REVIEWS! THANKS YOU GUYS! YOU'RE ALL SO AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU!**

 **Also, this update's _super_ early, but it's a plea for forgiveness because of that last cliffy. So, please forgive me and be happy for this surprise early update :D**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **MY BAD. Sorry Kass, guess I wanted to make you an emotional wreck. And whoopsieee. Fredrick was dead...but now he isn't (; And Percy's just everything right now. Both good and negative. And I'mma resurrect myself one way or another. And you're right, we don't need Rachel. She'll just rot in the cells. And im so sorry XDXD dont be mad at me. I beg for forgiveness.**

 _ **PeriwinkleLuv9:**_ **Because I love them :3 Why do you hate Rachel so much? In this story, shes so nice. Haha, thats a lie. As for the swearing, sorry. I can't help it. Besides, Percy's angry. Of course he's swearing his head off. But im sorry. I'll try to keep it under control. If I can't, please forgive me. And for Percabeth, it'll be a while until there's fluff between them. Thank you!**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **IM SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME. And I don't doubt it. Confuzzled emotions? Imma hide somewhere now. And Im so happy! That has been my dream goal for this story. I'll be ready for all of you guys. Ihy too ((: I hope the book is interesting (; And thank you! Im glad you do! Also, I probably will have to :/**

 ** _thesweetscentofbooks:_ NOOOOOOO!**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **You should love and hate me both ((: And thank you! You'll find out more about his intentions in this chapter (': I WILL IT"LL BE SOON. AND OFC I REMEMBER THEIR CHILDREN. HOW COULD I FORGET? And you're right, but it wouldn't really make sense if I made the roles they have as OC's, you know? Thank you for loving my story 33**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Don't go insane. I need you to be sane for this story. You'll find out the answer to those questions in this chappie (; Here's the next chapter so please stay sane ((:**

 _ **FuddyDuddy-strikehedonia:**_ **Im glad you love it! Have fun fangirling (':**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **You had it right! You were making me so nervous when you were telling me your theories. I was like, holy shit. She's on to me. Nah, I don't need help, (haha yes I do) but its not for depression. I just really love writing about angst and emotions and all that. It hits me hard. No, suicide to me is never an option. And thats probably it. After all, great minds think alike (;; And that line was definitely inspired by you. When I read it, I laughed. But either way, we should look into it. I think that'd be interesting. Here's the next chapter, and the invitation will be coming to you pretty soon (':**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Woohoo I left you speechless. THANK YOU! I get what you mean, and thanks! Awww stop it, don't make me blush. AND HERE'S MORE! Thank you, Cinder 3**

 _ **awade0143:**_ **I** **m glad you were! Yay! A happy jump. Thats a first. And who wasn't excited to see Percy go down on Rachel? And uh oh. Hope you're not messed up too bad. Wouldn't want that. And THANK YOU! THANK YOU! *Bows***

 _ **percabethlover:**_ **Whoops, sorry. Can't give you that info (; IM HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HAPPY! Thank you, thank you. You are too kind. HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPPIE! HOPE YOU LIKE IT!**

 _ **Anyonymous Fan:**_ **Why not? (; IM SORRY I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT CLIFFY. Hope im forgiven (': The next chapter will be out next Wednesday or Thursday ((: AND DONT GET GROUNDED. IM SORRY THAT IM THE PROBLEM FOR YOU STAYING UP. The time span between one chapter is from Wednesday-Friday. Sometimes I update early, like a Tuesday, so check on those days too. I do not update on Saturday-Monday, so don't bother checking on those days. I update at any random time throughout the day, but mostly in the afternoon or night like from 5-10 P.M Hope you found this info helpful! Enjoy the chapter ((:**

 _ **Loving The Wise Girl:**_ **YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THEM NOW! Keep expecting them (; IMSORRY I died too )))): Also, I love your username ((:**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Yup, they do. And tysm! Hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 _ **Zeppelin02149:**_ **Yup, these dam cliffhangers are wonderful, arent they? (':**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Yes it is! Of course he did. Come on sapphire, keep up! Lmao, jkjk. Haha...surprise...haha. Nah, im kidding. You'll see. I love keeping you all ALERT and *COUGH COUGH READYFORSUDDENCLIFFHANGERS COUGH COUGH* Wow, I should see a doctor about this cough. I love Travis too, thats why I add him in. Connor, Travis and Katie are some of my favorite characters. Wish Rick would've added them more. And you're welcome! Have a good one ((: TY!**

 _ **loudlillylaugher11:**_ **Oh no! I wouldn't want you angry...just heartbroken and depressed is fine ((: IM KIDDING THATS SO MEAN. Im just kidding. And wow, that mad? I have a concert on Wednesday, so Im terribly sorry if I don't update that day, but now you'll know why if I dont ((: I will definitely update the next day or Friday though. And thank you! Im praying for myself right now (:**

 _ **unclerick:**_ **Haha, I gotcha (;** **I love hearing my readers tell me how surprised they were, it makes me happy. And you'll see what happened to Percy and why he couldn't take Rachel off in this chapter. But also, keep in mind that he was in shock. Don't you ever get that feeling when you can't move cause you're so surprised and thrown off guard? Yeah, thats how Percy felt.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Nah, Im not worried. Not at all. (Maybe a little). But seriously, thank you! For understanding my necessity to make you all wanna cry (': Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter ((:**

 ** _Guest:_ So many things. Hope you can survive with them all. Thank you! I try my best to please you all. Dont worry, I wont kill him. Some other character will (: HAHA IM JUST KIDDING PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MY JOKES THEY'RE SO FUNNY. IMMA GO HIDE NOW.**

 ** _julia:_ Thank you! *Bows***

 ** _DelaneyRae:_ Glad you do! Enjoy this chapter!**

 ** _DemonicKillJoy:_ Baha, I can imagine and practically hear that gasp XD Thank you for saying that, about my story giving you life. I never thought i'd make anyone happy to read this story and excited. And you're welcome! I wouldn't exactly say brilliant, but thank you. That means a lot. And of course you can! Everyone can. I'm sure you write brilliantly as well ((: **

**_greekdemigodwannabe:_ You're fine. I don't blame you. With all the shit I make you guys put up with...Im expecting a little outburst. Im always in a mood (: I feel bad for everyone in this story, to be honest. It broke my heart to write about Percy being so sad, but I loved it at the same time, you know? I love angst, and when im writing a scene that includes it, it just comes naturally. Im a really emotional person, and passionate, so of course I love writing. I honestly prefer third person to first though. And I had to add that part with Percy, Piper and Jason. It was so sad. I loved it. I had to add something that showed that they were there for him. That they really cared for him. I cant wait to write about the situations getting better, but thats not until a while... I love you too! And no problem! Its so cute! Happy to hear that I put a smile on your face ((:**

 ** _Guest:_ IWILLPLEASEDONTKILLME**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **1st: I better hide. 2nd: Thank you! 3rd: Is this update early enough? 4th: Thats a good imagination (;**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **I'm pleased to hear that! Annabeth is more important in this situation than anyone realizes (;**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Hello, Nishita! Thank you so much! As for your question...sure, as long as you try _really_ hard :D**

 _ **Gwpfp:**_ **Ooh I want a mint. And damn, if how much food equals to how good my story is...then I have no idea XD you need to share though ;-; Im hungry. I will send an ambulance over to you soon :DD**

 _ **bunnies4life:**_ **IM GLAD YOU LOVE IT :D BUT MY CLIFFYS ARE SUPPOSED TO MAKE YOU LOVE IT EVEN MORE! D: HAHA JK... I UPDATED, I UPDATED :DD THE LAST THING YOU WILL DO IS FINISH THIS STORY...THEN YOU MIGHT RECONSIDER WANTING TO KILL ME :D**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Thank the gods! I already am on a million other people's death lists. Wouldn't want to be added to another one. Thanks! As for Percabeth...haha...**

 **Disclaimer: No, I dont own anything, im only responsible for the trail of broken hearts Im causing my readers to leave behind (':**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I stared in horror at the man staring down at me, a face that constantly haunted my dreams of my childhood.

My father.

Who was supposed to be _dead._

He smiled down at me, that same smile he would always give me. No warmth in his blue eyes, instead a cold glaze in them that made me freeze under his gaze.

"Hello, Annabeth," he murmured, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

I forced myself to swallow, feeling sick to my stomach. He couldn't be alive. He died. Along with Bobby and Matthew. He wasn't supposed to be here, talking to me and giving me that cold smile. But then again, a lot of things weren't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to meet Percy. I wasn't supposed to get recruited into The Olympians. I wasn't supposed to start to feel such strong emotions towards a man anymore. But all those things did happen, whether I liked it or not.

I forced myself to swallow that thick bile rising up my throat, almost coughing when I did. My heart was racing in my chest, so loud in my ears that I was sure he could hear it.

"Y-you're supposed to be dead," I managed to say, my voice hoarse and barely a whisper.

His mouth twisted into a frown, staring down at me with disapproval, a look I was used to from him. "Now, Annabeth," he chided. "I would've thought you would be happy to see me again."

I wasn't sure _what_ to feel. This man had never loved me, yet I always ha showed him my affection and care for him my whole life. He was my father. I had to love him, he was still family. No matter what he did.

"H-how are you alive? What happened?" I asked, my voice brittle. My father stared at me impassively, another look I was used to.

"I faked my death," he said, his voice quiet. I inhaled sharply, biting my lip hard.

"But _why_?" I asked, tears pricking my eyes. "Why would you do that? Why would you leave my mother and I like that? We needed you."

He cocked an eyebrow, a low and dry chuckle escaping his lips. He shook his head, starting to walk around me slowly. My heart was increasing its pace, thumping loudly against my ribs.

"Oh, Annabeth," he said, shaking his head. "There were a lot of things in your childhood that you weren't supposed to know." He stopped in front of me, kneeling so he was at eye-level with me. His eyes were icy cold, making me stiffen under his stare. "For one thing, I never wanted a child."

I felt a tear escape my eye. "What?"

A smile curled his lips, the gesture not reaching his eyes. "No, Annabeth. I never wanted to have you. But your Mother insisted. So then you came along." His face hardened. "Once you started to grow older and begin to show us just how intelligent you were, your Mother started getting ideas of making you take over the company."

"You didn't want that," I whispered, my legs starting to shake.

He shook his head solemnly. "No, I didn't. I would've preferred that the children that would take over would be boys. I thought it would make more sense. They'd follow my directions, rather than how I knew you would turn out to be stubborn, just like your Mother. You wouldn't listen to me, I knew that. My boys would," he paused, cocking his head. "Then I met Helen. I decided to try with her. Then came along Bobby and Matthew. Helen wanted to keep them, but I found a way to keep them."

"What do you mean, 'try it with her?'" I asked, my voice horrified. "Did Helen even want to have children?"

His lips tilted into a cruel smile. 'No, she didn't."

I felt a sob rising up my throat. "What did you _do_ to her?"

He shrugged, waving a careless hand. "That's not important. Besides, from your experience, I'm sure you can piece it together."

 _My experience? How much does he know?_

Before I could question him, he began to talk, every word filling me with dread.

"I knew your Mother would want to keep them. She had been wanting more kids after you, but I wasn't taking anymore chances. So when I brought them in, of course she was mad. But she soon warmed up to them, and agreed to keep them." My father stood up, starting to walk around the room again. I forced myself to watch him, when all I wanted to do was close my eyes and pretend he wasn't there.

"After a year, I tried to convince your Mother about letting Matthew and Bobby take over the company. But she wouldn't have it. You, Annabeth," he laughed, bitterness so strong in his voice it made me flinch. "You got in the way of all that. She saw you as an angel that descended from heaven. She loves you. Since the moment she laid eyes on you, I saw it. I knew right then that she'd want you to take over Olympic Architecture. After a couple of years, I found out about your Mother being in The Olympians."

I felt my throat constrict involuntarily. Where was he going with this?

"Not only did your Mother run one of the best architecture companies in the world, but she was also part of one of the most feared gangs in the country," he cocked his head, staring at me intently. "She still is, isn't she?"

"Why would you care?" I quipped, startled by how stable my voice sounded. "You let us think you were dead."

His jaw tightened and his flashed, but just as those expressions were there, they were gone, being replaced by a cold grin. "At any rate, I had found out when I had looked at her computer files and saw one labeled as _oikodomisis_ _,_ which at the time, I knew meant 'project' in greek. Curious, I opened the file and was greeted by a whole document of building designs. Houses, it looked like. Now, this should've been normal, as your Mother was always designing buildings. But as I looked at them closer, they appeared to have some sort of hidden basement. All of them. It was only afterwards that I began to pay more attention to your Mother's behavior. At times, she would slip out of the house in the middle of the night and come back several hours later. One night, I'd woken up to find your Mother not there. I had searched the house and finally overheard her on the phone, locked up in her office. 'The designs are almost done,' she'd been saying. 'In another two months or so, I will have them done. The next Olympians will be safe there.'"

My father stopped walking and stared into nothing, suddenly laughing, the sound dry and resentful. "Your Mother is very smart, but that was one mistake she made. She'd said the name of the one gang everyone had been talking about. The one everyone prayed would not come to their city. Only then did I piece everything together. I had wanted to deny it, but the more she slipped out of the house and remained locked up in her office murmuring into the phone, I knew it was true. I decided not to use that against her whenever she would snap at me for telling her to hand the company over to me and my sons. They were supposed to be the owners of that company, but _you_ would not let that happen. You were your Mother's pride and joy, of course."

He turned to face, his face hard and eyes blazing. I forced myself to swallow my dread, keeping my eyes locked on his.

"This is why I never loved you, Annabeth," he said, his voice quiet. "You got in the way of everything."

I bit my lip hard to keep from crying, but the tears pooled in my eyes nonetheless. I always knew that he never cared for me, never loved me. But hearing it come from him, the words actually leaving his lips, filled me with such sadness and pain it threatened to make me cry. Words were always so much more powerful than your thoughts. Unlike your thoughts, the words people said stuck with you forever. Thoughts just faded away, always hiding somewhere in the back of your mind. The words people said made those thoughts come back, making them all the more compelling.

"You were always just there, trying to live your life happily without a single care in the world," my father resumed, starting to walk again. "I would watch your Mother try to explain to you what you would do when the company was handed down to you, but you seemed so clueless. You'd go about your day, not even asking a single damn question about the company. And then you're Mother, getting more and more involved with The Olympians and beginning to abandon the family she was supposed to care for. Do you think that was right of her, Annabeth? Fair? Because I sure didn't. That damned gang made it harder for me to take over Olympic Architecture, since everything your Mother did in that company was attached to The Olympians. Your Mother would not let me be involved with anything relating to the company. In fact, The Olympians practically owned your Mother's company as well. I had been just about ready to demand for the contract to Olympic Architecture, and when I asked for it, your Mother denied knowing where it was. That had been the fight we had gotten into when you were playing with the flashcards with Bobby and Matthew." He stared at me, a sneer threatening to spread across his lips. "Remember that, Annabeth? I know you do. In fact, you had even crept up to the door to listen, as you always did. Another thing that made me hate you even more."

A tear slid down my cheek, tickling my skin. I took a deep breath, pressing my lips together. Where was he going with this? Why was I here? What did he do?

"I had left the house with Bobby and Matthew, claiming to take them for a walk in the park. I was furious with Athena. She had lied right to my face, just to protect that fucking gang. And you. If it weren't for you, the company would have been passed down to me and the boys. Because of all that, I had begun to plan everything out. My first move was to investigate The Olympians and who your Mother talked to. I found out about the three leaders, the same brothers who owned Olympus Enterprises. Poseidon, Zeus and Hades. I had found out about the eldest son of the three, Perseus Jackson."

I felt my chest compress painfully in my chest at the mention of his name. This was not leading anywhere good. Every word he spoke made my throat seem to close up bit by bit, threatening to make me gasp for air. My breathing had turned ragged with fear, and my head pounded as he kept talking. I already knew that whatever note this story would end on, it would break me completely. All those dreadful questions in the back of my mind would be answered, the ones I never wanted a response to.

"I had planned how to begin to break both the gang and the company little by little, and it worked effectively. The second part of my plan I knew would be more tricky was faking my death. In order for everything to work out, I had to make sure you and Athena think I was dead. If I tried to do all of this while in the house and 'alive,' I would never pull it off. So, while in the car with your brothers, I had been driving fast on a mostly empty road. Once I spotted a car coming in our direction, I had swerved and managed to unbuckle my seat belt and roll out of the car just before they crashed. It was a miracle I had survived. simply breaking a bone in my arm. Your brothers on the other hand, died."

A sob rose up my throat once he said this, and I finally gasped, letting it all in. The tears flowed out of my eyes, spilling down my cheeks and jaw. I managed not to start sobbing, but it hurt to just try.

"Why would you do that?" I gasped, swallowing hard. "Bobby and Matthew never did anything wrong!"

He cocked his head as he stared at me, his eyes calculative and cold as they studied my face and tears. I glared back at him, biting my cheek to keep from sobbing.

"Of course they did, Annabeth," he said softly, the angry glint in his eyes not matching his quiet tone of voice. "They failed me. They never lived up to your Mother's expectations. They weren't of any use to me any more."

More tears spilled out of my eyes, and my body shook as I cried. I was not staring at my father anymore, the one I thought I knew. No. I was staring at a monster. A monster I barely knew.

"After the impact, I managed to drag Bobby and Matthew's dead bodies out of the wrecked car and burn them," he continued, his voice still quiet. My body trembled as I cried harder. I searched his eyes and face for any look of regret or sorrow. There was none.

"I followed along with my plan, starting to assemble my group to take down The Olympians and gain more control. I then found Luke Castellan, your boyfriend, I recall."

As he said this, his mouth twisted into a sort of teasing smile that set me instantly on the edge and made me stiffen involuntarily. He knew what Luke did to me. And he was mocking me for it.

"I took something away from Poseidon and Perseus that I knew would break them. Their wife and mother. It worked. Poseidon's field of Olympus Enterprises wavered for a while. I sent Rachel Dare after Perseus to break him even more. Charming girl, she is. I knew she would get the job done, all the while spying on both the company and gang and gaining information."

I froze. My father had to do with breaking the infamous Percy Jackson. This couldn't be.

"I sent Jordan Gray into The Olympians as well, posing him and a few others to make Jordan get into the gang. I thought Perseus might kill the guy, but he didn't, much to my surprise. He was recruited and as time went by, I was fed more and more information by the minute," my father said, the hint of a smile on his lips, as if he was _proud_ of what he accomplished. All I felt was horror.

He turned his gaze to me, that smile still on his face. "I only had one problem. You." His smile widened, his eyes glinting. "That's when you came in to play, Annie."

"Don't call me that," I whispered, my voice sharp and acidic.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I had trouble trying to figure out how to involve you in all this, Annabeth. I sent people out to spy on you and soon learned that my daughter wanted to become a supermodel. Once I found that out, I managed to find out who your Mother had called to get to take pictures of you. I disposed of him and gotten Jordan to fill in the job. It worked, and soon enough, you were everywhere. This made it all the more easier for me to know what you were up to, since there wasn't a single magazine in the country that did not include you."

I tried not to let my ragged breaths suffocate me as I stared at this awful man. I'd once thought that maybe he was mean. Now, I knew he was an absolute monster.

"Then, it was just finding the matter of how to break you," my father said, staring at me intently. "I had trouble figuring out how. But then I remembered what tactic I'd used with Rachel and had recently found out about your last heartbreak with Tristan Williams. Luke was more than happy to do it, and that was that."

I bit my lip and breathed through my nose, forcing myself not to start crying again. "Did you tell him to do all those things to me?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

He cocked his head, lips curling in wicked humor. "What, you mean rape you? No, I didn't. I simply told him to make you fall in love with him and break you in the best ways possible. I never thought he'd take is as far as to rape you, however," he replied, speaking as if dismissing a child. He suddenly laughed, the sharp sound making me wince. "Honestly, I thought you'd be smart and leave him sooner. But no, you stayed with him, even after he cheated on you and began to treat you like garbage. You loved him that much, didn't you?"

He gazed at me expectantly, as if wanting me to answer his rhetorical question. He wanted me to _say_ it. Well, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I would not give him what he wants. Not to this monster.

After a short few seconds, he shook his head and began to talk again, only making me wish that we could keep having that staring contest so he wouldn't have to speak any longer.

"After you'd left him, I'd sent people to keep an eye on you. You went about your life, modeling and helping your Mother with the company. Looks like you are, or rather, were going to take over," he said with a sneer. "I waited a couple years afterwords, watching in silence as The Olympians and Olympic Enterprises grew bigger and bigger. Only then when I knew your big European tour was coming up did I send those two men after you."

I swallowed, the familiar feeling of bile rising up my throat. "You sent them after me?" I questioned, my voice ever so quiet.

He nodded, smiling coldly. "Why, of course. And just my luck, Perseus had been in the area. I had a feeling he would spare you. Turns out he did. Although, I never thought you would end up together. How...cute."

He said this in a mocking tone. He was teasing me for having feelings towards Percy Jackson. Of all people, Perseus Jackson.

I felt my fear slowly turn into anger as I stared back at him fiercely, my jaw locked and hands clenched under the restraint of the ropes.

"I watched your interactions with them for a while, seeing how easily they welcomed you into that damned gang. But I needed you to be in it. The closer I had you to them, the easier it would be for me to keep an eye on all of you. That's why I'd given you all a warning when that man had shot you, Annabeth. A warning to get ready for what was coming. Soon after that, I caused distractions and put the blame on The Olympians. I sent some men into one of the HQ's, the one you were staying in when you were in Los Angeles to hurry you up. Who knows how long you would have stayed there if I hadn't sent those men. After that, I made Mark Evans and Jayden Harris start to publicize what Olympic Enterprises was _really_ up to in order to get your attention. It worked, yet you ended up killing three more of my most reliable men."

"We didn't kill Jose," I snapped, narrowing my eyes. "He took away his own life."

"Which was what he was ordered to do," my father replied smoothly, shrugging as if that one death didn't matter. "I figured you would corner him once he maimed Jackson, so I told him to slit his throat once you began to catch on."

"But that's _horrible,_ " I breathed, my skin prickling with fear. "That's not fair to him."

"Nothing is fair in this world, Annabeth," my father said quietly, his voice resentful. "Of all people, I would think you'd understand that more than any one." I instinctively flinched. His words were like sharp shards of glass, each one cutting me open in my most vulnerable places. But what scared me most was that he _knew_ where those places were.

"But even before that, I'd noticed your interactions with that beautiful Silena Beareguard," he continued, pacing around me.

I froze, my blood roaring in my ears.

" _You killed her,_ " I whispered sharply, my anger and sorrow returning and washing over me in waves.

"You all seemed quite close with her," he responded nonchalantly. "I simply saw it as a way to deter The Olympians, and even Aphrodite McLean herself. And even better, this was along with Charles Beckendorf, another loved member, am I correct?"

I felt myself start to tremble, a scream and sob threatening to tear themselves out of my throat. My father _couldn't_ have been the cause of all these people's deaths. No. He couldn't be.

But as my eyes locked with his icy cold blue ones, filled with anger and years of bitterness, I knew that I could not deny it.

My father.

A murderer.

And who knows how many more things he was, lying hidden beneath that cruel smile.

"And my next move was probably the one I enjoyed most," my father continued, eyes glinting. "Kidnapping your Mother."

I stifled a sob at the mention of my Mother. Of course he had her. Of course he kidnapped her. He no longer loved her anymore.

He chuckled, running his tongue across the flat surface of his front teeth. "She put up quite a fight. She honestly surprised me. It was five men against one woman, an your Mother managed to knock out two of them, without weapon or anything. You saw that wreckage in her office. That was all her. But in the end, we won, and we hid her in this very building."

I had a million curse words running through my head, some that were itching to fly out of my mouth at my father. I bit my tongue hard, locking my jaw tightly. If I opened my mouth to speak, nothing good would come out.

"After that, we watched you for a while. Poor Annabeth. So lost without her Mother there to help her. This is how it's always been. Your Mother being there at your beck and call to help you with whatever you needed."

"That's not true," I whispered, but even as I said the words, I didn't believe them. He was right. The only reason I would ever talk to my Mother was to ask for help with something. Now thinking of it, I felt a sharp jab of pain in my chest. I took my Mother for granted, and now I'm only realizing. I can't say sorry to her, for the fact that I might never see her again.

"Next thing to do," my father was saying, "was introduce you to Luke once again. I had told Jordan to give you that information, and watching Perseus enough let me know that he would take you to that place. He'd do anything to help you, I hope you realize that. Luke was meant to simply maim Jackson, but your little hero Bianca got in the way of that. Now she's dead, all for helping Perseus." My father laughed. "Quite loyalty they have there."

I swallowed a scream as my throat constricted once again. _He killed Bianca. He killed Bianca. My own father killed Bianca. My father is the reason for the devastation of the others._

"But I guess that worked too," my father added, shrugging. "It certainly seemed to work in separating you all for a while. I needed that, at least until I sent Rachel Dare to cross Jackson's path as he looked for Athena. I had to get you out of there, because I needed you here. What better way to do that than letting you catch the one man that gave you hope kissing another girl?"

He walked closer to me, kneeling in front of me, giving me that acidic smile that chilled me to the bone. "And now, Annie, you're here."

I swallowed thickly and urged the tears to go away, to clear my vision in order to really see this man's intentions. My head was swimming as I realized what he was saying. That woman had been Rachel. The same Rachel that had broken Percy's heart. _Oh no._

I pushed those thoughts away and stared at my father, clenching my jaw. "Why do you need me here?" I whispered, a sharp edge to my voice.

He kept his eyes locked on mine, hard and glinting with malice. "You're the bait, Annabeth. Given how close you've gotten to Perseus, he will come to save you one way or another."

"What do you want from him?" I asked, keeping my voice unwavering.

"Everything he is part of," my father responded quietly, so soft I almost didn't hear him.

I stared back at him, part of me hoping that this was all just a trick. A joke. Anything but the truth. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't really be my father.

"Percy won't come for me," I said softly, my voice calm and face impassive. "He'd rather keep his family alive than come rescue one woman."

My father chuckled without humor. "Funny how you think that, my dear. But just you wait. That man will tear down this city if it means finding you. I've watched you two long enough to know that is true."

I glared at him, my anger and sadness and fear rolling around in my stomach, fighting for dominance. All these feelings at once were never good, and one of them always found a way to out-do the other. It just needed the right thing to set it off.

I hope that thing wouldn't come soon.

My father suddenly smiled, the gesture making me stiffen as a wave of fear rolled over me. Looks like the fear won.

"I need to show you something," he said, reaching down to untie my legs from the chair. He stopped abruptly and looked up at me, his eyes flashing with warning.

"Don't you dare try anything," he said acidly, his eyes burning into mine. "Or I will not hesitate to smash this chair over your head."

I nodded, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood.

He finished untying the rope, walking around me to slip off the rope that bound my hands to the chair. He grabbed both my wrists in one hand and kept them behind me, standing me up and tying my hands together once again.

And then he led me out of the room.

* * *

He led me through a series of many corridors, the amount of them making my head spin. Everything was dimly lit, and once or twice he had to tug me hard to avoid crashing into a door or wall.

What seemed odd to me was that we did not pass any other person while my father led me through the warehouse. Considering how many people he has on his side, we passed no one. I did not hear a sound come from any of the rooms. I did not hear voices. It was silent.

"Is there anyone else here?" I muttered, finding the need to speak quietly.

Beside me, my father smirked, the gesture sending a chill down my spine.

"Many people are in this building, Annabeth," he replied, his voice cool and crisp. "Some of whom you will meet sooner or later."

I decided not to speak after that, my throat and mouth already feeling dry with apprehension.

Soon enough, we were arriving at a door labeled 'monitor room,' and my father pulled out a key from his pocket and quickly unlocked the door. He pushed it open, and I was relieved to see that no one was in there.

Different screens were displayed along the walls, at least ten of them. A desk was in the middle of the room, pressed up against the wall, a chair in front of it. My father led me towards it, and he pressed a few keys on the long keyboard settled on the desk. One of the screens abruptly lit up, and my father pressed a few other keys. An image instantly displayed on the screen, and my stomach twisted as I looked closely and noticed that it was presenting Percy's room. My father pressed another key, and the video seemed to fast forward, stopping once Rachel began to back Percy up against his bed.

I inhaled sharply at the sight, my eyes instantly glued to Percy's face. He looked angry and troubled as Rachel said some words to him. My father pushed another key, and I could suddenly make out what they were saying.

" _I want there to be an us again,"_ Rachel was saying as Percy sat on his bed.

Percy's eyes seemed to flash, the gesture even visible on the screen. " _No, Rachel,"_ he muttered firmly, an edge to his voice.

Rachel pushed him down on to the bed and straddled him in a matter of seconds. Percy began to get up, but Rachel pushed him down once more.

" _Rachel,"_ Percy snarled, that familiar angry tone to his voice filling my ears. " _Get the fuck off of me. I need to get to Annabeth."_

Instead of responding, Rachel seemed to press all her weight on him as she leaned down and forcefully captured his lips with her own. Percy seemed stunned for a second, before he reached up to grab her head. From the angle of the camera, you could clearly see Percy trying to pry her off of him. From where I'd been standing when I was in there, it had looked like Percy was holding her closer. I'd been wrong. So very wrong.

One of Rachel's heels slipped off her foot and fell to the floor, the thump I'd heard when I had been walking to my room. Seconds later, there I was, walking into the room only to find Rachel kissing Percy.

I had turned stark white at the sight, stumbling back until I crashed against the wall. Only then did Percy seem to find the strength to throw Rachel off him. My hand had flown to my mouth, and even from the screen, I could see my own eyes turning clear as they flooded with tears. I looked so angry. So devastated. So _heartbroken._

The ground seemed to sway under my feet as my father clicked another button, fast forwarding the video once again. This time, the screen displayed Percy barging into his room and slamming Rachel to the wall. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, eyes dark and blazing with fury. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched him, threatening Rachel and blaming her for my runaway.

My head was thumping along with my heart, both making me feel disoriented. Percy hadn't been the one kissing Rachel. It had been the other way around. And because I refused to listen to him, I was here.

I stifled a sob as my father switched the scene, stopping in one where Percy was in his room again, alone this time. He sat on his bed, head in his hands as his shoulders shook silently. It took me a second to realize he was _crying._ I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach as I watched him. He looked so helpless. So _lost._

I forced my head to clear itself from that loud thumping, and tried to calm my pounding heart. It was only then that I could hear what he was whispering over and over.

" _I'm sorry, Annabeth,"_ he was saying. " _Please come back to me."_

His voice broke as he said this, and I swallowed back a sob, my eyes burning as I tried to keep my tears at bay.

"Oh, Percy," I whispered, pressing my lips together as tears flowed out of my eyes.

" _Annabeth,"_ he whispered softly, saying my name like it was the one thing he needed most. " _I will find you._ "

The screen went black, and as more and more tears ran down my face, I turned to see my father staring at me, studying my expression and face.

He smiled, the gesture mocking and filled with malice, as if he was enjoying my pain. "So, do you still think he won't come for you?"

I said nothing to this, glaring at him as my stomach began to churn with a feeling I couldn't pin down. Anger boiled in my veins as I stared back at him, this reincarnation of a demon himself. This was not my father. This was a monster.

"Where is my Mother?" I ask instead, my voice like steel.

He blinks, as if surprised for a second, before narrowing his eyes.

"Somewhere in this building," he replies, keeping his voice smooth and calm.

"I want to see her."

He smirks and shakes his head. "I'm afraid I can't have that, Annabeth. You won't be seeing your Mother in a while."

"Is this really all for some stupid company?" I question incredulously, an angry undertone to my voice. "Just because Athena wouldn't give it to you?"

My father's face hardens instantly. "You wouldn't understand," he says through gritted teeth, eyes dark. "I suggest you stop talking right now, Annabeth."

"Or what?" I quip, clenching my hands. "You'll fucking kill me? Lose the one thing that's going to help you and this shitty plan of yours?"

In seconds, I was being slammed against the wall, a knife pressed against my neck. My father's expression was furious, his jaw locked and eyes blazing.

"You're not the only thing I need, Annabeth," he whispers darkly, eyes boring into mine. "Keep that in mind. For now, I need you alive. But after I'm finished with you, I will not hesitate to slit your throat and burn you dead. Just like I did to your brothers."

" _You're a monster,"_ I snapped, my eyes flooding with tears once again.

"No," he says quietly, calmly. "I'm your father."

"I don't think so," I reply softly, my voice tinged with anger. "A father wouldn't kill his own children and kidnap them. A father wouldn't fake his own death. A father wouldn't plot against his own family. I don't know what you are, but you are _not_ my father."

I swallow, feeling the sharp edge of the blade dig into my skin. He's scowling, his eyes blazing with anger. I know I should stop talking, but I don't. I need to let it out. All of it.

"I always loved you, Dad," I said, my voice hard. "No matter all the nasty and disapproving looks you gave me, I always cared for you. But now? Now I don't give a _shit_ about what happens to you. I _hate_ you."

I stared at him square in the eye, feeling a sob rise up my throat. His gaze remained impassive, the only expression visible was his anger.

Then I said words that you should never tell your parents. Something a daughter or son wouldn't say to their mom or dad. But this man wasn't a father. I don't think he'd ever been. Only now I know who he really is.

And when I said the words, they were loud and clear. I was not going to whisper them. I wanted to make sure he heard me.

"I hope you rot in fucking hell."

* * *

He threw open the door, shoving me into the dark and cold room.

I stumbled, crashing to the floor. I turned to glower at him, my veins pulsing with anger and fear.

My father- no, I couldn't even call him that anymore. Not ever. _Frederick_ glared at me, his jaw locked tightly and blue eyes blazing with fury.

"If you think I'm going to rot in hell," he snarled lowly, "then I should return the favor by letting you rot in here."

" _Go ahead,"_ I spat furiously, clenching my hands hard enough so that my nails dug into my skin. I felt blood slowly trickle out of my palm, leaking onto my fingers and down my wrist.

My eyes were burning with tears, but I would not let them fall. I would not let this man see them.

He glared back at me, and we seemed to stare at each other for hours, before he let out a growl and slammed the door shut, encasing me in complete darkness.

Only then did I begin to let it out. My tears flowed onto my cheeks, dripping off my jaw and onto the floor. I pressed my bleeding palms onto the cold cement as sobs began to rack my body. I gasped at the pain slowly spreading throughout my chest. My heart seemed to be steadily crumbling, slow so that it could make sure I felt all that suffering, the one that's tormented me for so long.

I don't know for how long I was crying, but soon enough I was clutching myself tightly, shivering as occasionally sobs left my throat.

"Are you okay?"

The voice startled me so much I yelped, scrambling backwards. A light had been turned on, dim, but bright enough so that I could make out the small figure standing a few feet away from me.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked shakily, my voice hoarse from crying.

The figure took a tentative step forward, and this time, I could see who it was more clearly. It was a little girl about six or seven years old. She had long chocolaty hair that appeared tangled as it cascaded down her shoulders and back in waves. She had pale skin and a round but gaunt face. She was awfully skinny and looked as if she hadn't ate in a while. She wore faded jeans that looked like they hadn't been washed in a while and a pink sweater that was two sizes bigger than what she needed. Despite all that however, she was adorable. But it was her eyes that startled me the most.

They were wide and big, the color a deep sea green that reminded me achingly of Percy's. In fact, they looked so similar that I had to blink a couple of times to make sure I wasn't imagining them.

"I'm Isabelle," she replied in a soft and shy voice. "What's your name?"

"Annabeth," I answered, my voice quiet. "Annabeth Chase."

Her sea green eyes flickered down to my hands, slightly sticky with blood. "You're bleeding," she pointed out, her eyes widening a fraction more.

I glanced down at them and bit my lip. "I guess I am."

"Does it hurt?" She questioned, moving closer to me.

"No," I said, my voice soft as I studied this young girl, lacking the health she needed. "No, it doesn't."

She stared at my hands a bit more, frowning in concern. Her bow shaped lips pouted adorably, and I had to restrain myself from pulling her into a hug. What was she doing down here? How long had she been here? Did my monster of a father put her down here?

"Mommy," she said suddenly, not taking her eyes off my hands. "She's bleeding."

Suddenly, there was a noise that came from the far corner of the room; the sound of a bed creaking as someone rose from it.

Another figure began to walk toward the little girl and I. Finally, the figure came into view.

It was a woman. She was about forty or so years old, but despite how old she appeared, she was very beautiful. She had wavy chocolate colored hair much like the little girl's, streaks of gray running through it. She had bright blue eyes that shone with the sort of warmth and care that let you know that if you started to cry, she'd be there with open arms to comfort you. She had a petite frame and wore faded jeans and a gray sweater.

"Oh, dear," she said in a quiet, comforting voice. Her eyes narrowed in concern as she knelt in front of me. "Are you all right?"

I nodded, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "I'm fine. But, who are you?"

She gave me a sad smile, one that almost made me start crying.

"I'm Sally Jackson."

* * *

 **BOOM BITCH**

 **So... what'd you guys think? I loved writing this chapter. Especially that last part (;;;**

 **DONTKILLME**

 **And holy crap, I'm singing a solo for my choir group's concert this Wednesday, and I'm super nervous. Wish me luck guys :D**

 **Also.. this story's close to coming to an end, ya guys. I wanna cry just thinking about it D': About five or six more chapters left ))))': So set your calendars to your specifically reserved day to let out all your tears and curses :DD**

 **SHOUT OUT TO SEAGREEN101 FOR HAVING THOSE CREEPY AND CORRECT THEORIES. ALSO SAPPHIRELG CUZ SHE WAS JUST JOKING BUT SHE ACTUALLY GOT IT RIGHT ;DD**

 **CHECK OUT WIZARDHALFBLOODGEEK'S ONE-SHOT**

 **GO READ THE BOOK SAINT ANYTHING BY SARAH DESSEN- IT'S AMAZING**

 **SEE Y'ALL NEXT WEEK 33**

 **~KAT :3**


	44. Chapter 43

**HEY EVERYONE! I'm back, you all can finally let out your breaths of relief. I _was_ going to update until Wednesday, but y'all kept spamming me and sending me death threats, and I'm not ready to die yet, so here it is. Haha... ANYWAY, who's excited for this chapter? I know I am. I'm totally not rubbing my hands together and laughing maniacally as I say this. Nope. Not at all. Hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Loudlillylaugher11:**_ **Stupid crap. Thanks for telling me. If not, I would've never known. Went back and fixed it right away. Thank you for the heads-up. I honestly have to stop, but I make no promises. I'll try to let you guys off the hook this chapter. Key word: Try. And honestly, I have been feeling that way too. I thank the gods that I stumbled upon this glorious site and got motivated to write my own story. It's helped me so much, and I've met so many kind and amazing people on here. What better way to find PJO fans? Your words warmed my heart, thank you x And thanks again! I was really nervous for it. I think it went well thankfully ((:**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **You knew it? Awesome :D And he is a hoe, isn't he? Bigger disappointment than the Percy Jackson movies ;-; And thank you so much!**

 _ **thesweetscentofbooks:**_ ***Sighs* I already hear that enough in my life. Nah, just kidding. But yeah, I'mma try to leave you guys on a good note at the end of this chapter (; _Try._**

 _ **Cosmos871:**_ **Yes she is! I'm excited to be bringing her in to play *evil laughter* I hope I rot in hell too :D How bout this; I finish writing this story, _then_ I go rot in hell. Deal? Oh, my readers. They're so sweet x**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Sorry mate, can't give that info away ;D I am dead already. Everyone's killed me. And thank you! You'll see what Percy's doing in this chapter (: I tried to update soon enough :D Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **istar144:**_ **If it comes to that, I'll see what I can do (: She is back! I'm excited for that. And yes you will! I wish you lots of luck x Also, maybe that's what _you_ think. Perhaps the others thought it was beautiful ((: **

_**julia:**_ **Thanks! About the advice; ooh, you're in a pickle. But honestly, if you like the guy a lot and he likes you back enough and you know each other well, I say go for it. As long as it makes you happy. There will never be perfect relationships in life. Others will always disagree with what you want to do or think. Trust me. If it's only one person that disapproves, then it doesn't matter. As long as it makes _you_ happy, not the other girl, then go for it ((: Tell her, if she disapproves, ask her why exactly. Talk things out. I'm sure it'll turn out just fine (: And you're very welcome. If you ever need someone to listen, I'm right here x And thank you so much!**

 _ **Anonymous Fan:**_ **1: Thank you! 2: I will try my best! I love cliffys, and now I understand your feelings towards them. I love that song. And yikes! Can't have that. And thanks! I have a bunch of fun writing and making you all cry :D**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **You're damn right she is (: I'm happy too :DD**

 ** _BookEnthusiast2.0:_ Ha, honestly though. And yes she is, I mean, who wouldn't? I'm freaking out just writing about it. You'll find out about Sally's pregnancy in this chapter (: More explaining to do, so get ready :D And about Freddy, yeah, that's what I was sorta aiming for. He's probably gonna do more insane shit, but ya know, he still has a heart. It's just really, really, really, really small. I'm selfish too :DDD I'm sad its ending too D: I never thought I'd get this far, but here I am. And thank you for that, for being here. It's been so much fun and great, though sometimes it can be a pain in the ass, and I'm sure you understand. Also, for your story, I hope you get enough time to be able to relax. Can't wait for the return of Sixth Period Study Hall. That was always a lot of fun to read. Writer's block is a bitch. And thank you again. Honestly, I just added more things to the story as I went. The shitbag was trying to piece all the stuff I'd added in together, and that was hard. But with all my motivation and stubborness, I managed. Thanks for the cake too, it was delicious xxx **

_**Guest:**_ **DON'T DIE ON ME YET! IT'S NOT TIME!**

 _ **unclerick:**_ **Shock, huh? And I'm happy too! I tried to make it as emotional as possible. A lot to take in, so a lot of emotions to go through, you know? And when I am writing about the character's emotions, it comes a lot easier to me, since I'm an emotional person and feel very strongly about things. And yay! You do? Frederick as awful in this story, which is kinda weird to write about. But, oh well. We all have our dark sides. Thank you so much! You're too kind ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you! And yes, let it out. It's ending )):**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Why not? (; I hope that in the end you will remain as a whole :D Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter and try not to crumble (':**

 _ **DemonicKilljoy:**_ **I have? That's awesome ((: And gods, I hope not. I want you to stay alive for my sake :D Also, really? I never thought my words could move a person so much, but I'm touched. Thank you for that. I think your cousin is gonna keep an eye on you now XD I hope _you_ have an amazing and fantastic life. Stay happy, please. There are already enough sad people in this world. Thanks for your kind words xx**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **What? What did I do? I'm innocent, I swear to gods. A lot of things are wrong with me, Kass, I thought you knew that by now (': And yep, it is. The whole family ensemble. And OMFGS, your choice of words made me fall out of my chair laughing. What can I do? I need to make you fall off of _something_ to make things a little interesting. And go ahead. I'll be waiting right in front of the door and even offer you some :'D I'LL BE WAITING BBG xxxxxxxx**

 _ **Its a Great day to be a Duck:**_ **Thanks! I'm glad you think that. Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **NO PROBLEM! AND YOU'RE RIGHT BUT I JUST HAD TO. YOU WERE MAKING ME FUCKING NERVOUS. AND YAYAYY! More people to get you all close to, and then mess with them :'D Hahaha... And YES! I STUMPED YOU! I DID IT! *Pats self on the back* I knew I could do it. I'd been thinking of that plot twist for a while and wasn't sure to add Percy having a sister at first, but then thought it'd make things a _lot_ more interesting. I'm sad too ): And yes. Definitely. Absolutely. I already have a bunch of ideas running through my head, I have to write them down. Don't worry though. I will be writing a lot more stories. I will be sending you the invitation via PM :D**

 _ **percabethlover:**_ **Honestly? I have no idea how I manage. It's a miracle. TYSM! You are too sweet! I will definitely keep writing, you can count on that (; xxx And thanks! It was great ((:**

 _ **CaptainPokemon1:**_ **Thanks! And I'm sad too ): Not sure about a sequel or anything, but I'll see. Hope you enjoy this chapter (:**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **YAY! You're back! I missed you. I wish you lots of luck on those tests. I'm sure you'll do great. Oh parents. So pushy sometimes. And yes! Percy does have a family, isn't that exciting?! Unfortunately yeah, Frederick does have some human in him. It's just really, really small. And OoooHHHH that's a good idea (about Nemesis) interesting... And wow, really? I portrayed it that well? I've literally never gone through a breakup, so I had no idea. But wow, thanks. As for the beta thing, ohhh okay. I get it now. So then I'd copy the paper you would send back to me through PM and copy that one? As for the addiction... no, not at all...okay, maybe a little. But that's all right. We're all crazy. And thanks! It was fun. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. And yeah, that's what happened to me to. As long as I forgot about everyone watching me, I was fine. I won't, don't worry. I already have a ton of ideas running through my head. I'll be posting them on my profile sometime soon. Have a great day and I hope you enjoy this chapter! x**

 **Niki4ever: Im sorry! But unfortunately, it will eventually. And I do know about Episode, I just don't go on it. You think so? I'll check it out (:**

 _ **Gwpf:**_ **LMAO, poor computer. It'll become a piece of evidence for how much you're absorbed in this story. But seriously man, you need to share, I'm hungry ;-; Nah, im just kidding. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Try not to get food on anything around you XD**

 _ **michellePJOHOO:**_ **XD That's a pretty awesome life if you ask me. Hope you like this chapter! Don't die on me :D**

 _ **Anon:**_ **I'm glad too! I'm excited to bring her in to play-I mean in to the _story._ Haha, excuse me there. Sadly, the twins will not be coming back )': Lots of love back to you too! xxx**

 _ **I cant tell ya:**_ **Awww thank you! DON'T HURT YOURSELF! I don't wanna get a call from the hospital saying I was the cause of your concussion. THANKS!**

 _ **bunnies4life:**_ **Thank you! It went great (: Why not? (; Frederick's an asshole who needs to get his shit together. What can I do? Hope you like this chapter!**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Hmmm... you'll see (':**

 _ **My name is Jet:**_ **I'll see what I can do, Jet (':**

 _ **Guest:**_ **You were? Well, your wait is over because she's finally here! I love you too!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **He's full of shit, isn't he?**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Aw, your words are going to make _me_ cry! Thank you. I was mad just writing about what Frederick did. But, he has to be a jackass in this story. I wouldn't say _flawless,_ but thank you so much. The only incredible one here is you, darling (: And thank you! I think I did pretty good. I'm glad I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. Ily too!**

 _ **sapphirelg: Uh oh, guess I got by you unnoticed (: At least you didn't have to wait so long for the next chapter. You can scream internally. And really? You're lucky. I still have to wait four more days. And woah there. But you're right. He deserves a slow...painful death. And oh my gods! Those are so cute! What are you going to name it? I love it when I'm right too, but you hit the nail on the head unintentionally.**_

 **Disclaimer: Ha, never in a million years will I own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I stared in shock back at this woman, the one whose name was of the mother of Percy Jackson.

 _No. This can't be her._

I swallowed the dry lump in my throat, almost spluttering into a coughing fit.

"Sally Jackson?" I asked, my voice a raspy whisper.

She frowned at me, her blue eyes shining with concern. Isabelle was hugging her by the neck, staring at me straight in the eye. Her sea green eyes were alight with curiosity and wariness, alert and attentive.

"Yes," the woman replied, her voice soothing. "Why do you seem so surprised?"

I blinked back my tears and pushed down the fear and dread and sadness slowly building up my throat. "Are you the mother of Perseus Jackson?"

She caught her breath, the sharp inhale making me flinch. Her eyes widened, suddenly shining.

"You know him?" She inquired, her voice just above a whisper.

I nodded slightly, biting down on my tongue.

She brought up a hand to cover her mouth just as a single tear slid down her cheek. "He's alive?"

"Mommy," Isabelle said, facing her mother with a frown on her face. "Who's Perseus?"

Sally shook her head, pulling her daughter tightly against her. She kissed the top of her head as tears flowed down her cheeks, a silent torrent that didn't seem to end.

"Who told you otherwise?" I asked gently, fighting back my own tears.

"Frederick," Sally replied quietly, wiping away some tears. "He said my son had died in the fire."

I shook my head, a single tear tracing my cheek. "No. Percy's alive. Everyone thinks that you died in that fire."

"I figured as much," she whispered, stroking Isabelle's hair just as the little girl's eyes began to flutter open and shut, fighting to stay awake. "I've been down here for seven years."

"Seven years?" I asked, my voice a mere breath. "How do you know?"

She smiled sadly, the gesture just enough to make my eyes swell with tears. "Because that's how old Isabelle here is."

I swallowed. "You mean-you had her when you were taken away?"

Sally nodded, biting her bottom lip as her bright blue eyes flashed with sadness and pain. "I was seven months pregnant at the time. Once Frederick's minions brought me here, it was only before they were about to kill me that they noticed that I was pregnant," she paused, taking a deep breath before exhaling. "I guess he had some human decency left in him to let me live and have my baby."

I let that sink in and almost burst into tears, knowing that this poor woman had to raise her child down in this cold, dark cellar, not knowing what was happening outside of that metal door.

"How did it happen?" I asked at last, peering into her warm and comforting eyes, a hidden layer of wisdom and weariness underneath them.

Sally continued to stroke her daughter's hair, shifting so that Isabelle's head rested against her chest. She was quiet for a moment, her gaze faraway, as she if she were staring into a whole other universe, a whole other world. I hoped it was one where everyone was happy and didn't have to worry about awful situations like this. That was one world I don't think I'd ever go to.

"I had been cooking dinner," she finally said, her voice soft. "Percy had been in the kitchen, helping me. At the time, I'd known that things had been going on with Poseidon's company and The Olympians. Poseidon never mentioned anything, but I could sense the tension he would bring with him when he arrived home, or even hear it in his voice when we talked over the phone. I had also been pregnant, and Poseidon and I decided to keep it a secret, a surprise for Percy. Lucky for us, he never questioned my slowly growing tummy," she chuckled softly and shook her head. "He always was distracted. But also, my stomach didn't grow excessively so that it was obvious, so that helped. Anyway, as we cooked, I'd noticed that we were out of some vegetables. I had sent Percy to the local store to get some, and it was only half an hour after he'd left that I had smelled smoke."

Her blue eyes darkened, turning a cobalt blue. "I began to search everywhere, trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. I searched every room in that large house but could not find where it was coming from. Finally, I returned to the kitchen and was met with the whole room set ablaze," she blinked hard, as if trying to get sand out of her eyes. "I was panicking, and I had felt as if my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I had left my phone on the kitchen counter, but I could not venture into the kitchen any further without burning my leg off. I had not heard the footsteps approaching me from behind until I was being suffocated with a chloroform-filled cloth. I had struggled and tried hard to fight back, but then I realized that if I did any sudden and labored movements, I might hurt the baby. I had slipped into unconsciousness and woke up in this cellar. I was terrified and had banged on the door over and over, demanding to be let out. I don't know how long I waited, but finally, Frederick had come into the room. I was in shock. I thought he was supposed to be dead. Athena had mourned over him for a long time, so I was sure he died. But here he was, coming in to tell me that he was going to kill me. I had begged and pleaded, and ended throwing up all over the floor. He had glanced at my stomach and finally realized that I was pregnant. He had laughed, without a trace of humor, shook his head and told me that he'd let me live. I lived down here for three months, being let out every three days to shower myself, and being fed regularly. I tried hard to maintain myself as healthy as possible given the conditions I was in. On the day the baby was due, I had banged on the door relentlessly. I had been in so much pain and probably would've passed out if one of the men hadn't came in. After that, I can't quite recall what happened. I believe I was taken to the hospital, one owned by Frederick. Then Isabelle was born."

By the time she finished her story, tears were streaming down my face, every one of them a fat drop that landed on my slightly bloody hand. "I'm so sorry," I choked out, shaking my head. My so-called father had done this. He'd been the one who put her down here in the first place. I felt a wave of disgust and guilt wash over me. I was related to that man. I shared his blood.

"Oh, honey," she soothed, reaching out to grab my hand, not seeming to mind the few streaks of blood across it. She stared into my eyes, so sad yet filled with warmth. "It's not your fault."

I swallowed down the cry that threatened to tear out of my throat. _If I hadn't been born, this would have never happened to you,_ I wanted to say. Instead, I asked, "How did you manage to raise her down here?"

She gave me a sad smile. "The men feed us daily. And don't worry, it's actually good food. After a week at the hospital, Frederick brought me back here. He had even placed a crib in this cellar and some blankets. The hospital had provided me with enough supplies for the baby. They gave me clothes as well. I kept count of the days after we'd come back." She gestured around the room, and that's when I saw it; lines upon lines, crossed over each other, scratched over the walls. The sight of the tally marks made me inhale sharply and bite down on my tongue to keep from crying again.

"You managed all on your own," I whispered, glancing back at Sally. I felt a sense of admiration and respect towards this woman. She managed to raise a baby all on her own, down here in this cold, dark cellar, all while keeping track of the time that flew by.

Her lips curled into a warm smile, the gesture reaching her eyes. "I guess I did." She gazed down at her daughter, her blue eyes glinting with love and protectiveness. She leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Isabelle murmured something and shifted a little before quieting down.

"She's beautiful," I said quietly, smiling. Sally returned the gesture, causing the tension and fear coiled around my stomach to unravel itself bit by bit. This woman had a way of making you feel safe with just a smile, and I was grateful for that. Now I know why Percy loved her so much.

 _Percy._

His name echoed in my head, filling me with a pain that threatened to suffocate me. My body ached to be near his again. I wanted to be wrapped up in his arms again, safe. I missed his boyish grin and shining green eyes, darkening at a moments notice when something angered him. I missed training with him, his body pinning mine down to the mattress of the training room as that challenging smirk danced across his lips. I missed the feel of his mouth on mine, unfurling every ounce of doubt or fear that wrapped around my body like a rope. I even missed his scowl.

"Are you all right?" Sally inquired, staring at me with a look of concern. "You look as if you're about to burst into tears at any moment."

I swallowed down the bile rising up my throat and shook my head. "I'm fine."

She glanced down at my hands and suddenly rose, cradling Isabelle in her arms. "I'll get you some bandages," she said quietly, starting to walk towards the bed. She slowly set Isabelle down on it, tucking her into the sheets. A moment later, I heard the sound of a zipper opening and closing, water running, and she returned, kneeling in front of me. She grabbed my hand and wiped the blood away with a wet cloth. She opened some bandages and proceeded to cover my small cuts with them.

"There," she said, wiping my hand off with the cloth one last time before pulling back.

I smiled at her gratefully, studying my hand. "Thank you."

My eyes rose to meet hers again, and the smile she had on her face melted off her lips. She peered into my eyes, studying my face. She frowned and opened her mouth as if to say something, just to close it again.

"Is something wrong?" I inquired, unease creeping up my throat.

She shook her head, staring at me intently. "I'm sorry, it's just- you remind me of someone. What's your name, dear?"

"Annabeth," I replied, furrowing my eyebrows, bemused. "Annabeth Chase."

Her face went slack and she paled, staring at me with wide eyes. "Annabeth?" She repeated, her voice a deadly whisper.

I nodded, still mystified, and she brought a hand up to her mouth. Her eyes were shining.

"You're Athena and Frederick's daughter?" She questioned, disbelief in her voice.

"Yes," I answered, my voice involuntarily quiet. "I am."

Suddenly, she was wrapping her arms around me, holding me tight.

I blinked, startled by the sudden embrace, but soon I found myself hugging her back, breathing in her sweet soapy and flowery smell, the scents soothing.

She pulled back, gripping my shoulders, her eyes glassy and a clear blue.

"Oh, Annabeth," she whispered, her eyes darting to every inch of my face. "You've grown so much."

"What?" I breathed. I was pretty sure I had never seen this woman in my life. But as I stared deeper into her bright blue eyes, I got a sense of familiarity at the warmth and kindness in them.

"I only saw you a couple of times when you were little," she said quietly, her hand lightly touching my face, as if a firm touch would make me disappear forever. "You were always so smart. Just like your Mother."

"You knew her?" I asked, my throat constricting.

Sally nodded, gazing at me with a fond look that made me swallow down the lump in my throat.

"You have her eyes," she commented, her voice soft. "Intelligent with that stubborn glint in them."

"Frederick took her," I whispered, swallowing thickly and blinking hard. "He kidnapped her and has her locked up here somewhere."

"Oh, sweetheart," she whispered, embracing me once again. She stroked my hair lightly, easing the cold ball of dread that was slowly coiling around in the pit of my stomach. "Don't worry. You'll see her soon enough."

"Everything went so wrong in just a couple of hours. How is that possible?" I sniffed, tears starting to drip down my face.

"It's not your fault," Sally sympathized, rubbing my back. "You can't always be prepared for everything the world throws at you."

"I wish I were," I sobbed, clutching her tightly.

Sally continued to rub my back, quiet. She suddenly breathed in and exhaled soundly.

"I do too, Annabeth," she replied softly. "I do too."

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

 _I ran down the street, breathing hard. I stopped and slumped down the side of a building, the hard and cold bricks sending chills up my spine. It was no use. I could not find her. Yet still, every time I turned to look, she was there, across the street, her haunted gray eyes burning into mine. I had been chasing after her for hours, but it was no use. Right when I was feet away from touching her, she would disappear, only to reappear again._

 _"Percy!"_

 _I jumped to my feet, my eyes darting around the street, trying to find where the voice was coming from. But there was no one there. Not a single person. Not a car. Not even a pigeon._

 _"Percy, please!"_

 _It was Annabeth._

 _I looked around again, but I could not find her. She was nowhere to be seen. An ear-piercing shriek echoed through the vacant streets, coming from the inside of a dark apartment._

 _I ran towards it, kicking the door down and bursting into the building._

 _"Percy!" Annabeth sobbed, her voice breaking with despair. My scalp prickled with anticipation and dread, and I instantly began to run up the stairs just as another cry filled the air. It was coming from upstairs._

 _"Annabeth!" I called out, my heart racing. "Annabeth, where are you?"_

 _"Percy," Annabeth cried out, her voice brittle and scared._

 _Anger and apprehension pulsing through my veins, I ran down the hall, not stopping to think about why all the apartment doors were wide open. I reached the end of the hall, stopping in front of the only closed door in that hall. Power surging through me, I kicked it down and ran in._

 _"Annabeth?" I shouted, my eyes scanning the small living room._

 _I heard another sob, the sound coming from one of the rooms. I quickly darted to it, turning the knob and slamming it open._

 _There, in the middle of the room, tied up in a chair, was Annabeth._

 _Luke was next to her, muttering things into her ear and chuckling before puling her face to his and pressing his lips against hers._

 _Annabeth screamed and struggled to pull away, Luke's eyes flashing before he pulled out a knife from his back pocket and pressed it against her throat._

 _"Get away from her," I seethed, starting to surge forward, ready to slam his head against the wall, but I couldn't move. It was as if I was being held back by an invisible force, holding me in place._

 _I pushed forward, trying to walk further into the room, trying to save her, but it was no use. I could not move._

 _"Percy, please," Annabeth gasped, tears running down her beautiful, terrified face._

 _Luke chuckled as he watched me struggle and push forward. "No use, Jackson," he called. "You can't save her this time."  
_

 _He bent down and gripped her chin with his fingers, pulling so that she was looking at him. "She's mine now," he purred softly. "Like she always has been."  
_

 _"I belong to no one," Annabeth snapped, her voice sharp, trembling with anger. "Especially not to you."  
_

 _"Is that so?" He asked quietly, flicking the knife so that a trail of blood trickled down her throat. Annabeth gasped and bit her lip hard, wincing._

 _"Don't touch her!" I shouted, straining hard against the invisible wall that was holding me back from getting to her. I felt so helpless, so pathetic. I couldn't get to her, the only woman in this world that I wanted to be with._

 _"Too late," Luke whispered, a sudden deadpan expression on his face. He dug the knife deeper into her skin and drew a line across it with a flick of his wrist._

 _Annabeth's eyes widened as she slumped in the chair, blood flowing out of her neck like a red, gruesome waterfall._

 _"No," I rasped out, my throat constricting as my voice came out in a gasp. "No!"_

 _Luke turned, and the empty look in his clear blue eyes brought a shiver down my spine._

 _"You're helpless, Jackson," he whispered, and just like that, he was gone._

 _Blood continued to run down Annabeth's neck, coating the white camisole she was dressed in, turning the fabric a crimson red._

 _"Annabeth," I called, my voice hoarse. I slumped against the unseen wall, my feet giving out beneath me. She was dead. And it was all my fault._

 _I could not save her._

 _"Why, Percy?"_

 _I slowly lifted my head, not sure if I was hearing clearly. It was only until my eyes met clear gray ones that I was sure I heard right. My heart stopped._

 _Annabeth was staring right at me, but there was something wrong. Her eyes were a silver, unclouded, almost white. Tears were running down her face, her features displaying no emotion whatsoever. Her eyes were blank as well, even as tears pooled in them and flooded out._

 _"Why didn't you save me, Percy?" She asked, her voice hollow and vacant as she seemed to stare right through me. "Why didn't you do anything?"_

 _"Annabeth," I croaked, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."_

 _"No, you're not," she replied. "You could have saved me, but you didn't. Why?"_

 _"I wanted to," I answered, my voice hoarse. "I wanted to save you so badly, Annabeth. But I couldn't. I'm so sorry."_

 _She stared back at me, tears continuing to flood out of her eyes. Not once did she blink._

 _"You don't care for me," she said suddenly, her voice flat. "That's why you didn't save me."_

 _"No, Annabeth," I rasped, shaking my head as my vision turned foggy. "That's not it. Please believe me. I wanted to save you."_

 _The tears that flowed out of her eyes suddenly turned red. As they fell, they left a line of red across her skin. She was crying tears of blood._

 _"You didn't save me," she whispered. "You could have saved me, but you didn't."_

 _"Don't say that," I said, my voice cracking. "I want to save you. Please believe me."_

 _Bloody tears kept running down her face, her skin suddenly stark white. Her blonde hair suddenly began to turn black, the color traveling through her locks. As I watched, she began to fade away, her irises the color of the whites of her eyes. Only the pupils of her eyes showed._

 _"Goodbye, Percy," she whispered softly, her voice toneless._

 _"No, Annabeth," I called, placing my hands on the invisible wall. "Annabeth!"_

 _Her gaunt, expressionless, blood streaked face was the last thing I saw before she disappeared._

 _"No!" I shouted, pounding on the wall. "Annabeth! Come back! Annabeth!"_

 _But it was no use, she was gone._

I shot up, my head pounding and breathing hard.

"Annabeth," I whispered, looking beside me, momentarily forgetting that she wasn't here. She wasn't with me.

I took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. I was shaken to the core. I was sweating and my vision was foggy. I closed my eyes, bringing a hand up to my face, wet. I'd been crying.

Wiping my face with my hand, I threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. I'd barely gotten any sleep last night, and the moment I did fall asleep, it was only to be awoken to nightmares. I couldn't last any more without her. Everything in me was pleading, aching to be with her. But I had no idea how to get to her.

A knock sounded on my door, interrupting my thoughts. I sighed, running a hand through my unruly hair. "Come in."

The door opened and Reyna came in, Leo beside her.

Reyna regarded me with dark, serious and sorrowful eyes. Leo was fiddling with his hands, a habit of his when he was nervous and uneasy.

"What is it?" I inquired, my voice coming out sharper than I intended to.

Reyna narrowed her eyes at me, but said nothing to my tone of voice. "Clarisse called," she informed, her voice cool. "She said that they didn't find a trace of anything."

"Travis and Connor too," Leo added, his expression filled with distress. "They didn't find a thing."

I clenched my jaw tightly and swallowed down the cold ball of dread rising up my throat. "Those bastards are hiding themselves too well," I said, my voice quiet.

"Hazel called," Reyna offered. "She said that she and Frank should be here by this evening."

I stared at the floor for a second, running my tongue along the flat of my teeth. "All right," I replied, standing up. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll join you all downstairs in a little."

Reyna nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again, hesitating. She stared at me with a look of angst before locking her jaw. "Very well, Percy," she said, her voice quiet. She turned to leave, but the look she shot Leo did not go unnoticed.

Leo watched her as she left, a fond expression on his face.

"You know," I said, walking over to my closet and opening it. "Instead of just watching her from a distance and staying quiet, why don't you actually say something to her and tell her how you feel?"

I heard Leo let out a breath as I pulled out some clothes. I walked back into the room to see him sitting on the ottoman placed in front of my bed.

"You know her, man," he said, shaking his head. "She's not exactly the touchy-feely type. If I try to actually admit my feelings to her, she'll probably punch me in the face and leave me lying on the floor without giving me a chance to even open my mouth."

I cocked my head side to side, my lips twitching a bit at his words. "I guess," I said, sitting beside him. "But it wouldn't hurt."

"You mean the punch, or me telling her?" Leo asked, raising his eyebrows.

I managed to let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Admitting it to her," I answered, looking at him. "If you don't, you might be spending the rest of your life just ogling her while the rest of us have to deal with the stares you keep giving her."

Leo was quiet for a moment before his lips tilted up in a small smile. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Perce."

I clapped him on the back. "No problem. Now, I have to go take a shower. I'll talk to you later, man."

I got up and started towards the bathroom, but was stopped once Leo called for me.

"Hey, Percy?"

I turned around, furrowing my eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Are," he hesitated, watching me intently, his eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

An image of Annabeth flashed through my mind at his question, the only thing I needed for an answer.

"You just worry about yourself, Leo," I replied, straining a smile. "Start thinking about talking to Reyna without resulting in her giving you a black eye."

Not giving him a chance to say something, I turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door shut behind me.

* * *

I walked into the dining room, the smell of pancakes and bacon filling the house. I was met with the sight of everyone seated at the table, eating and talking in hushed voices. They instantly stopped when they saw me walk in.

I nodded my head in greeting and sat down at my usual place, feeling their eyes on me the entire time.

Piper cleared her throat, interrupting the tensed silence that filled the room. Her multicolored eyes shifted to me as she picked at her food with her fork. "So, Percy, have you talked to your father?"

"No," I replied, reaching forward to grab some bacon off a plate. "I was planning on contacting him today."

"What are you going to tell him?" Jason asked, pouring syrup over his pancakes while his eyes flickered over to me and back to his food, wariness glinting in his blue orbs.

I clenched the fork in my hand and stabbed it through the pancakes piled upon my plate. The whole time I'd showered, Annabeth had been the only thing on my mind. Her laugh echoed through my mind, filling my body with a pain so intense, it had numbed the feeling of the scorching hot water trickling down my body. I couldn't get her out of my mind. It had been only a couple of hours- but still. That woman had taken over every inch of my mind, my body. She could not be forgotten.

"Percy?" Piper pressed, her voice gentle, jogging me out of my thoughts. They were all staring at me, their expressions all etched with concern. "Are you all right?"

Suddenly, an inexplicable anger washed over me, rising up my throat in frustration that threatened to spill over. But it was that question, the one that made my muscles tighten and body stiffen in anger; I hated it.

"Poseidon must've already heard about Annabeth," I said in a clipped tone, ignoring the question. I wasn't in the mood to answer it. I don't think I'd ever be. "He might know of some way to find her."

The others were quiet once I stopped talking, and I could feel their eyes on me as I shoved a forkful of food into my mouth and forcefully swallowed it down. My stomach churned as if a whirlpool were inside it, making my head spin along with it.

"Have you talked to any of your parents?" I asked, my voice still terse. I stared back at all of them, their gazes focused anywhere but on me.

Nico twisted the skull ring on his finger, his dark eyes glittering with sadness and face sullen. "My father said he would talk to the other Olympians to start positioning new cameras around the city to replace the other ones. He said he'd talk to Hephaestus about making these new ones smaller and more vigilant."

I nodded, swallowing hard, as if a piece of pancake had gotten lodged in my throat. "I'll have to mention that to Poseidon."

Reyna pushed her plate aside and narrowed her eyes at me, consternation written all over her face. "You never told us what Jordan said to you."

My eyes flickered over to Jason and Piper, who were watching me intently, their faces anxious. I glanced back down at my plate, my throat constricting. I was suddenly not hungry.

"It's not important," I muttered quietly, my tone clipped.

"Will you _stop?"_ Thalia exploded, slamming her palms on the table and standing up, startling everyone and making the plates and silverware clatter.

The others stared at her wide-eyed, their faces paling. Piper, who was seated next to her, reached out to grab her forearm. "Thalia, sit down-" she said quietly, trying to ease her back into her chair.

"No!" Thalia snapped, pulling her arm back. She glared at me, her eyes glittering dangerously. "Stop trying to find a way to change the subject away from you, Percy! All we want are innocent answers from you, and you won't fucking give them. And now you're acting _angry_ at us for that? For trying to make you feel better?"

There was a collective intake of breath as the others stared back at me, trying to gauge my reaction.

" _Make me feel better?"_ I said, my voice incredulous and angry, making the others flinch. I glared back at Thalia, my gaze unwavering. "You think asking me if I'm okay is going to _make me feel better?_ Well, guess what, Thals? It's not."

"Then excuse us, but with your fucked-up personality and emotions, we have no other idea how," Thalia snarled, her eyes flashing and face flushed. "We know you miss Annabeth and everything, but will you stop beating yourself up about it? If you don't sort your shit out, you're never going to find her, Perce. Because of that, you're taking out your stupid, ever-present anger out on us, when we've never done shit to you! We're trying here, Percy, we really are, but you're making everything harder than it should be."

"It's not like I ever asked you guys to make me feel better in the first place!" I growled, standing up with such force I knocked my chair backwards. "I'm sick of you guys asking me the same goddamned question, when all it does is make me feel worse. If you want to make me feel better, stop asking me that bullshitted question."

Thalia's arms were shaking with rage as she glowered fiercely at me. I glared right back at her, my jaw locked and every single muscle in my body tense. I was sure I looked furious, judging from the white-faced expressions of the others.

"You know what I think?" Thalia said, her voice low and seething. "Maybe if you weren't this fucked-up and angry all the time, Annabeth would have never been kidnapped in the first place. So I guess you're right. Annabeth being kidnapped is all. Your. Fault."

The whole table gasped, and stared at Thalia with horrified expressions. Thalia ignored them, staring at me with unwavering fierceness.

I felt my arms start to shake in fury, and I clenched my fists hard, my fork still closed tightly in my hand, the cool silver and metal digging into my skin.

"You wanna know how to really make me feel better?" I asked, my voice quiet and snarling. " _Leave me the fuck alone."_

I picked up my fork and threw it at the center of the table, making it stick in place. I gave them all one final glare and stomped out of the dining room, slamming the door hard behind me.

* * *

I punched the bag hard, sending it flying away from me before swinging back again.

I was breathing hard, each punch I sent to it relinquishing my anger as my veins pulsed with the emotion, so familiar and satisfying.

After storming out of the dining room, I'd immediately headed down to the training room, and here I was, taking out my fueled anger on the big black bag.

I paused, placing my throbbing hands on either side of the bag and slowing down it's constant swinging. I pressed my sweaty forehead against the leathery material, closing my eyes.

 _Annabeth._

"I'm sorry," I whispered, shaking my head and clenching my hands around the bag. Thalia's right. This was all my fault. I should be fairer to them all. Her abduction wasn't their fault. I should admit how I'm feeling to them. Every single bit. They're my family. I should be able to admit my emotions to them, to let it all out.

But for some reason, I found that so hard. With Annabeth, I'd been able to confess some things, unlike with the others, I couldn't spill out the whole truth. Annabeth was a person I'd known for only three months, yet I had so much trust in her, I was able to admit things to her. Annabeth didn't know me as well as the others. She wasn't coming to me for advice and depending on me to lead her on her whole life and constantly protect her. Maybe that's why I'm able to admit things to her and not the others.

My whole life, I'd been raised to protect others, to expect them to lay their world at my feet and trust me to keep them alive. Annabeth was the first person I'd met who hadn't done that. No. She kept her own world to herself, and that's how it would be. She didn't expect me to keep her alive. She expected me to be by her side. That was it. That was all she needed.

I didn't like to admit my emotions and pain to the others because I had to keep strong for them. Especially right now. I couldn't afford to let them see me so vulnerable, so lost and broken. The only time they'd ever gotten a glimpse of that was when Rachel left me and told me she never loved me.

 _We need you more than ever now, Percy,_ Piper had said to me with shining eyes. _Please don't break._

It's a little too late for that, Pipes.

"Percy?"

I looked up to see Thalia walking towards me. Her blue eyes were glinting with a look of uncertainty and she was worrying her bottom lip.

I stood up straight as she neared me, slowing to a stop in front of me. Her gaze was on the floor, and she was frowning, as if she were fighting with her own thoughts. Finally, she sighed, looking up to meet my eyes.

"Look," she said, hesitating. This surprised me. Thalia was one of the most straight-forward people I've ever met. Now, she seemed almost irresolute.

"You know I'm not good at apologies," she continued, her gaze flickering to the floor and back up to my face. "But I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. It's just- It's not good for you to keep all your emotions bottled up like that, Percy. I want you to be at your best while Annabeth's gone. When you were with her, I saw a totally different man. You were actually happy, an emotion I never thought _you_ would ever be capable of feeling."

"Hey," I warned, my voice light. Thalia's lips twitched, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she repeated, staring at me with an apologetic look on her face. "I never should've said all those things."

I shook my head. "No, I should be the one apologizing. You're right. I shouldn't keep shutting you all out like that and taking my anger out on you all. It's just- it's hard for me. I'm not used to admitting the truth about how I feel to you all. I have to stay strong for you all. I can't afford to let you guys see me so vulnerable, especially with Annabeth gone. I miss her. A lot. My insides literally feel like they're being torn apart as the hours go by without her. I have no idea what to do or how to get her back. It's making me angrier than usual, which is saying a lot, and I just can't think straight. I'm sorry, Thals."

She stared at me for a while, not saying anything. Her expression was full of melancholy and she seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"I have no idea what to say to that," she admitted, giving me a small playful smile. "Piper would know exactly what to say, because you know I'm not the touchy-feely type, and it's making me really uncomfortable, so please stop talking. But what I will say is that it's okay, Percy. I forgive you. Just- try to open up a bit more, all right? I don't want to have to fight with you again."

I gave her a smile, the first genuine one that I'd given all morning. "Me either." I reached out and pulled her in for a hug, and she stiffened. I almost laughed. Thalia did not like hugs.

"For the record," she said, her voice muffled against my shirt. "No one blames you for Annabeth's kidnapping. I hope you know that."

I sighed. "Thanks, Thals."

She hummed. "Now get off me," she said, shoving me away. She made a face at me. "You're all sweaty."

I let out a laugh, and she grinned at me. Then, in one swift move, she punched me in the stomach, catching me off-guard and making me double over.

"That's for telling us to leave you the fuck alone," she said, grinning triumphantly. Her eyes glittered. "Because you _know_ that that's never, ever going to happen, Perseus."

* * *

 **There you go, guys. You're welcome for cutting you guys some slack on those cliffys. I was going to add one in, but then again, you guys are already mad at me enough. So yeah, you're welcome.**

 **I don't really have anything else to say, so I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of your week. Next update might come early since IT'S WINTER BREAK! HALLELUJAH!**

 **Are any of you guys asking for anything this Christmas? I'm excited :D**

 **LOVE YOU GUYS**

 **~Kat :3**


	45. Chapter 44

**Hey everyone! MERRY CHRISTMAS! Heres your present; an early update and chapter! Hope you have a good one. Anyway, some of you seemed to miss the cliffys, so that's awesome. You see, you guys? This is why I add them. Admit it, you love them. No? Okay.**

 _ **unclerick:**_ **It is. And yes she did. She's a tough one. And I'm glad you think think that! I absolutely love Sally, and I see her as the mom we wish we all had (not that I don't love my mom- just saying) but yeah. She's amazing. Thalia was done with Percy. She let it all out. I loved writing that scene. Also, I had to include that nightmare in there to show how much guilt Percy is carrying on his shoulders. That was hard. It was a healing sort of chapter, I'm glad you noticed that. I enjoyed writing this chapter. It was a nice break from all the fighting and stuff- well, excusing Percy and Thalia of course. And thank you! I have lots of fun, and I love seeing what you guys think, feel, or want to do to me after every chapter (: Thank you, and have a good one :3**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **I had to add that line in there, cuz I'm sure we can all agree. And uh oh. Hope you have enough tissues there (; Omg, stop with all your words. They're making me laugh. But yeah. They were both on fire that morning. And of course she did. She's Thalia. HOPE YOU HAVE A MERRY-ASS CHRISTMAS BBG!**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **I love him too (: It's all much more fun writing about him too. And thank you so much, Cinder ((: I love putting my own flare to the characters and their attitudes. It's so much fun and I get to add my own feelings through them. So thank you for noticing that. I love you lots too! And I'm looking forward to The Order! Awwwwww, you're so SWEET! Thank you so so much on all your support. It means a lot xxxx**

 _ **michellePJOHOO:**_ **No problem (;**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Hmmm...maybe. You just have to keep on reading, my friend. Oof, Percy, you'll have to tone it down a bit there, man. I'll see what I can do, but with what I have planned, I think you'll enjoy my version ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **OooOH another person left speechless. I'm awesome.**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Well, sorry for the late gift, but here you go! Merry Christmas, darling. I love the relationship Annabeth and Sally have. It always warms my heart. I'd be too cruel to make Sally be a bitch to Annabeth. I'm not _that_ much of a monster. And hopefully. Really? That sounds like fun. Hope you're enjoying/enjoyed your trip over there! Hope you didn't or don't get lost. And that sounds awesome! I hope you have a lot of fun when you go! That's a great movie. And thanks! ILYSM xxx**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **I'm tired as hell right now. I feel like I'm about to collapse at any moment. The emotions in the last chapter were both. I get what you mean. That's what I was aiming for. I'm a very emotional person too. And honestly though. Let's see how that goes. That's a cute name! Adorable name for a cute animal (: I would be obsessed with it too. I hope you have a wonderful week too, and no, I don't have any snow where I live. Yet. But I honestly don't want any because I hate snow. I'm the one who ends up having to shovel it. Go to sleep! You're going to get insomnia. I don't want to get that blame.**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Okay, okay, okay, I'll keep writing. Damn, don't do that to me! French fries are so good. I'm used to all the complaints. I have one foot in the grave now anyway. Don't die, cause I'm here now ((:**

 _ **percabethlover:**_ **Thank you! I don't know how I keep doing this, actually. You guys help. I'm glad you found it adorable. Thank you so much and HAPPY LATE MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Aww, that's not true. But thank you so much. I will!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **THANK YOU!**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **You're welcome! I decided you guys needed to relax for the holidays. And definitely some more Leyna. It is the best, isn't it? Finally, some sleep... I'm so happy to have been able to make you relax. Perfect timing is everything. I'm sure you did wonderful on your test. And really? That's awesome. And of course! Perhaps for the next story you can be my beta ((: Not pushy at all. And no, it's not short for Catherine. I'd been searching up different ways to say my real name in different places, and Katherine had shown up (as Dutch) so then my friend began to call me Kat ((: So yeah, I guess. And yes she is. I love her. Thank you so much! I will most definitely not let anyone give me any bullshit. And I'm Senpai now? Damn. I'll see where I can squeeze that in ((:**

 _ **percabeth824:**_ **Really? That's awesome ((: Have fun. I hope you had an amazing Christmas! Thank you so much!**

 _ **Anon:**_ **She is! I love her so much. Merry late Christmas! Hope you had a great one ((: Thank you so very much!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Number one: Thank you so very much! Your words are greatly appreciated ((: Number two: I tried my best! I was so excited to write that part. Thank you thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Maybe I should start rewriting what you reviewed last time so you know XD And thanks! I'm sure your alternatives are great ((: There are always so many.**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Thank you! You'll see what they feel for each other soon (; Don't worry. Not sure about a Christmas special though, since they're in the middle of August in the story. Thank you so much though ((:**

 _ **Gwpf:**_ **Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying it. And yay! You read that one? I loved writing that one-shot. Tratie is amazing. And you like Octachel? Never met anyone who did. Hm. And you're welcome! You guys needed to relax for the holidays (;**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **Welp, perhaps you'll get one this chapter. There's a mix of people saying they're relieved, or that they wished for a cliffy. I liked writing the Thalia-Percy talk. It was fun. Especially the argument, though that sounds mean. But you get what I mean? It did bring them closer. And that's true. I kinda gave that whole thing away, but whatever. Still a surprise that he had a little sister. I'm excited to introduce her more ((: Don't worry, the invite has been sent (':**

 **Disclaimer: Do not own**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I woke to the feeling of someone stroking my face.

I shifted from my place on the floor, gripping the blanket tighter between my fingers. The fingers were calloused yet soft, scarred. They felt like Percy's.

I leaned into the caress, a sigh emitting from my lips. "Percy..."

I heard a low chuckle, the sound chilling me to the bone. Whenever Percy chuckled, it came out husky and made my heart swell. This chuckle though, ever so familiar, held a malice to it that made my blood run cold.

Also, Percy wasn't supposed to be where I was. He _shouldn't_ be here.

My eyes fluttered open, only to meet with icy cold blue ones, dark and deceitful.

I inhaled sharply and scrambled out from under the covers, my mind still drowsy from sleep. "Luke," I breathed, my heart thumping. "What are you doing here?"

His lips curled into a cold smile as he sat back on his heels, his eyes glinting. "Looks like you still have feelings for that pathetic excuse of a man. You're even dreaming of him."

My mouth felt dry as it opened and closed, finally snapping shut. I had been dreaming of Percy. We'd been having a picnic in that same place he had took me to after he'd taken me on his motorcycle, lying together on the grass and gazing up at the sky, in pure sereneness and peace. Something I would never have with anyone.

"I asked you a question, Luke," I spoke through clenched teeth, keeping my eyes leveled with his. His pure presence made me want to scream and break down crying, but I would not let that happen. Not when he's hurting so many people. Not when he thinks I'm still afraid of him. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, lips twisting into a lazy smile as his intense eyes raked my figure. I stiffened. "Watching you sleep," he said casually, as if he might've said that he was taking a walk in the park instead. "You look so beautiful when you do."

"I'm awake now," I snapped, feeling my pulse quicken. "So you can get out already."

His eyebrows raised slightly, and he grinned wickedly, the gesture sending a chill down my spine.

"I think I might stay a while," he purred, moving closer to me. I recoiled from him without thinking, an instinct I was working on getting rid of. But with the presence of this man, I don't think I'd ever be able to get rid of it.

"Luke," I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him as he still moved closer, now arm's length away from me. I glanced quickly at the sleeping figures of Sally and Isabelle. Sally was facing away from me, while little Isabelle's was facing me. Her face looked soft and pale, like a little angel. But she was still so thin, and thinking of my father making her spend her whole life down here fueled me with anger.

Luke reached out to tuck one of my curls behind my ear, his fingers stroking my cheek. "Remember when you were mine, Annabeth?" He whispered, his eyes dark and predatory as they stared into mine.

"It's something I don't like to recall," I replied, my voice icy cold as I reached up to take his hand away from my face. "Now get out. You've made life worse enough. I'm sure you couldn't possibly do anything else to ruin it even more."

His face crackled with anger, as quick as lightning. But just as soon as it was there, it was gone. His eyes glinted with something that looked like hurt and irritation. "You think I ruined your life?"

"No," I said, my voice steady and quiet. "I _know_ you ruined it. You never cared for me, Luke. You were just following my father's orders. That was not care. That was not love. It was all a lie. All pretend."

Luke was quiet as he stared at me, eyes burning into mine. It was almost as if little sparks of fire had lit up inside them, flaring and angry.

"How are you so sure that's true?" He whispered, voice low and menacing. "How are you sure that I never loved you?"

"Because you did things to me that no man would ever do to the woman he loves," I answered, my voice quiet. I swallowed hard. "And if that's how you show your love, then it's a pretty fucked up way to do it."

Luke's jaw was locked, the veins in his neck visible and pulsing. "I'm sorry, Annabeth," he said tightly. "Is that what you want to hear? Then fine. I'm sorry."

"Sorry won't cut it anymore, Luke," I whispered, shaking my head. I felt my eyes burn with tears. "Not after all the things you've done to me."

Suddenly, I was being pushed down to the floor, and Luke was suddenly on top of me, his mouth pressed against mine. I felt fear and anger wash over me at once, pulsing through my veins and making my head pound painfully.

"Luke, stop," I gasped, pressing my hands against his chest and pushing hard. Tears had flowed out of my eyes as I struggled against him. So much for keeping them in.

"You think I never cared for you?" He growled in my ear, his breath hot against my skin, raising the hairs all over my body. "I thought of you every single day since you left. Only then I realized how much of an idiot I'd been." He chuckled, low and hostile. "If I'm being honest here, I was surprised you hadn't left after all the shit I'd done to you."

"Luke, get off," I snarled, digging my nails into his shirt as I pushed. I heard the bed creak, but didn't glance over in the direction. I winced. I didn't want them to wake up. I would get this bastard off and away from me one way or another.

"No," he said, running his nose down my neck and up to my ear. He licked at my earlobe and I flinched. "Not until you understand how much I missed you."

"You only missed my body," I snapped ferociously, trying in vain to shove him off.

"You're right," Luke whispered against my ear, sending dreadful chills through me. "I missed that most of all."

He trailed kisses from my ear to my jaw, his hands gripping my thighs tightly. _My legs,_ I thought frantically.

"You're mine," he said hotly, his mouth persistent. "You've always been mine. Jackson doesn't understand that, does he?"

" _Luke,"_ I snarled, gripping his shoulders and trying to pull him off of me.

He brought his mouth against mine once again, tongue prying into my mouth. I recoiled and turned to the side.

"You care for him, don't you?" Luke growled, gripping my chin between his fingers and forcing me to look at him. His eyes were blazing, hungry and angry. That was never a good combination.

I glared up at him, feeling my own anger pound through my head. "Yes. I do."

His face hardened and he leaned close to me, his mouth pressed against my ear. I caught my breath as my heartbeat quickened, so hard I was sure he could hear it.

"Well then," he whispered, voice low and threatening. "Looks like the next time I see him, I'll have to teach him a thing or two about touching things that are _mine."_

My eyes widened, and I tightened my grip on his shoulders, bringing my knee up to knee him in the groin. He groaned in pain and rolled to the side, effectively freeing me. I scrambled to stand up, my breathing hard and harsh.

"When will you learn, Luke?" I breathed, shaking my head as tears pooled out of my eyes. "Touching me and possessing me like that is never going to make me love you again, or love you more. Never."

He glowered at me from the floor, and with some difficulty, he stood up, his breathing labored.

"Now get out," I said sharply, glaring at him.

He stared at me for a while more, eyes lit up with anger. Luke turned and stalked towards the door, pulling it open in one swift motion.

Before leaving, he turned back to me, his blue eyes dark.

"Keep in mind that I can always come back, Annababe," he said, voice filled with malice and hunger, using that god-awful nickname. "And when I do, I'll take back what's mine. I'll get what I want from you. Because you belong to me, and only me. Jackson needs to learn that."

His lips curled into a wicked, wolfish grin. "I'll gladly take you again, Annabeth."

Then he shut the door behind him, the only light outside winking out of existence.

I collapsed to the floor, my knees giving out beneath me. My body trembled, but no tears came out. I was breathing hard, anxiety and anger and fear flowing through my veins.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder and looked up through the curtain of hair hanging around my face to see Isabelle, her eyes wide with worry.

"Are you okay?" She asked, kneeling in front of me.

I pushed my hair away from my face and forced a smile on my face. "I'm fine."

She stared at me with big green eyes, twinkling under the dim light. "He touched you."

A dry chuckle escaped from my lips, and I looked down at my hands, still wrapped with bandages. _It's not the first time,_ I wanted to say, but her gaze was intense and focused, not looking away from my face. It broke my heart to see such a little girl, spending her whole life locked down here. Instead, I said, "I guess he did."

She was quiet for a while, cocking her head in an adorable way. Her brown hair was in dissarray from sleeping, but she looked alert despite having just woken up.

"Do you know that man?" She asked me, eyes shining with childlike curiosity.

I hesitated. The truth was, I didn't really know him. The man I thought I'd known had just been a facade. Pretend. A prince from a fairy tale. This new man- this awful man, I did not know at all.

"No," I replied at last, my voice soft and sad to my own ears. "I don't know him."

She fiddled with the end of her sweater, hands delicate and fragile. "I had never seen that man before. And I see many men."

"Really?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in genuine curiosity.

Isabelle nodded, her angelic face serious. "Sometimes they come in here. They talk to Mommy. They can be so mean. They make Mommy cry."

"What do they do to her?" I asked, horrified.

Her eyes turned sad, the expression so heartbreaking to see on a girl so young. "They sometimes hit her or say things that make her cry. Whenever they come, she tells me to pretend to sleep. But I can always see them and hear them. I don't like when they make her cry."

I swallowed bile. This poor girl. She has no idea what's going on. She's just worried about her mother.

"What's your favorite color?" I questioned, changing the topic from that awful subject.

Isabelle blinked, momentarily surprised, before frowning in thought. "Blue," she replied. "Like Mommy's eyes."

I smiled. Percy's favorite color is blue as well. "That's a very pretty color," I commented.

She nodded, her lips twisting into an adorable smile that warmed my heart. "Mommy has very pretty eyes. I wish mine were blue like hers."

"Your eyes are beautiful," I reassured her, giving her a wistful smile. I couldn't help it. Percy's eyes flashed through my mind, gorgeous and unique. The way they darkened or lit up in different shades depending what he was feeling. They darkened from lust and anger to lighting up with that excitement he got when he knew he was about to wreak havoc. "Your eye color is rare and unique."

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means that not many people have that color of eyes," I answered. "Your eyes are very special."

Her eyes glittered. "I didn't know that."

I smiled at her, "Well, now you do."

She peered at me, her gaze full of wonder and that childlike gleam. "Your eyes are very pretty. I didn't know people could have gray eyes."

"Thank you," I responded. "I didn't know that either."

"Do people get their eye color from someone else?" She asked curiously.

"Most of the time," I said, shrugging slightly. "I get mine from my Mom."

"Where is your Mom?"

"She's..." The words died in my throat. Fucking Frederick hadn't shown me where she was. "She's somewhere close by."

She hummed softly in response, looking distracted and deep in thought. "I wonder who I got my eyes from."

My throat constricted tightly, and I suddenly felt as if I couldn't breathe. Oh, Isabelle. If only you knew.

"I wonder," I whispered, straining a smile as I reached forward to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Are you my friend now, Annabeth?" She questioned, staring at me intently.

I chuckled softly, clasping her small and soft hand in mine. "Even better. We're best friends. Thank you for talking with me. I really needed that."

She yawned and gave me a weary smile. "You're welcome, Annabeth."

"Sleepy?" I asked, a teasing lilt to my voice.

She nodded tiredly, her eyes fluttering shut before opening again.

"We should both go to sleep," I said, starting to stand up. "It's bedtime."

I held out a hand and she took it, standing up. I walked her over to the bed where Sally was sleeping and watched as she climbed back in, snuggling under the covers next to her mother.

"Goodnight, Isabelle," I whispered.

"Goodnight, Annabeth."

I smiled and watched as her chest rose and fell with every breath she took. They looked so peaceful, almost as if they were in a real house, in a real room. It was only until they opened their eyes that reality unfolded itself and came into full view that they saw where they were really living.

I walked back to the pile of blankets on the floor, settling two on the floor and climbing under two more blankets, bunching up the sweatshirt Sally had given me for a pillow. Once my head hit the item of clothing, I fell asleep.

And as I slept, I felt someone move in beside me, rustling me from my sleep. The little body curled up next to me, burying their face in my hair. I craned my neck to see little Isabelle, lying right next to me, her angelic face pressed against my shoulder, her bow shaped lips stretched into a small smile.

My heart warmed at the sight, and I leaned over to a press a kiss to her head. I hugged her close, and only then, did I fall asleep, no nightmares at all.

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I opened the door to see Hazel and Frank staring back at me, their faces serious and sad.

"Hey guys," I greeted with a strained smile.

Hazel sighed, her gold eyes shining with melancholy. She wordlessly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, pressing her face against my sternum.

"I'm sorry for everything going on with you right now, Percy," she murmured, shaking her head.

"Hey," I said, stroking her cinnamon curls. "It's not your fault, Haze."

She said nothing, simply tightening her arms around me. For a woman so small, she had a hell a lot of strength. "I can't believe she's dead," she whispered. I felt myself stiffen, sadness washing over me in a wave.

I shook the feeling away and nodded at Frank, who's face was grim and full of melancholy. "How's it going, Frank?"

He shook his head sadly. "Not good, man. Everyone's mourning the death of all these people, and now the news of Annabeth's kidnapping is spreading through The Olympians like wildfire. No one knows what to do."

I felt my heart begin to thump in my chest. The Olympians were spread all over the U.S in different groups and were led by high-ranking trustworthy members. I hadn't checked my phone at all lately, but I was pretty sure it was blowing up with calls and messages asking what the hell was going on. I would have to return those calls soon.

"Why don't you two come in?" I said, stepping aside. Hazel finally let go of me and once she looked up, her eyes were brimming with tears. I winced. I hated seeing Hazel of all people cry.

"Where are the other?" She asked, bringing her hand up to wipe away any escaping tears. I stifled a smile. There she is.

"I think they're all training downstairs. They've spent the past week locked up in their rooms. They needed some exercise," I explained, starting to lead them to the hallway that led to HQ. "I'm sure they'll all be happy to see you guys."

Frank laughed, a sound that was bitter and dry. "I'm sure they'll be ecstatic."

* * *

When we walked into the training room, it almost seemed like everything was back to normal.

Thalia and Nico were wrestling each other to the floor. Thalia currently had Nico pinned under her, but just as soon, Nico had flipped them over so he was on top, his forearm pressed against Thalia's throat. Thalia grinned and brought both legs up and kicked him off. Nico went tumbling onto the mattress, gritting his teeth.

Reyna and Jason were sparring with each other, the metal of their blades clashing and clanging. Reyna slashed at Jason, and he swiftly brought his blade up to block the strike. They twirled and moved in perfect sync, like skilled dancers performing a deadly dance. Reyna and Jason had always enjoyed swordplay with each other. It gave them a chance to learn more about each other. They learned each other's weak points, where they were stronger, what caught them off guard. Swordplay could be almost as intimate as kissing another person. You learned a lot about another person, so much that if you did it enough, you would learn things that could be both helpful, and dangerous. But with Jason and Reyna, it was intimacy and the fact that they got the chance to make fun of one another when one of them messed up.

Jason hacked at Reyna, and with lightning swiftness and grace, she rolled between his legs and stood up, turning and kicking him in the back. Jason stumbled and tripped, face planting the floor. Reyna laughed and said something to him, making him scowl. She laughed again and held out her hand to pull him up. Jason took it, and in the blink of an eye, he swung his foot under her feet and sent her crashing to the floor. Jason laughed as Reyna growled, and once again, the sound of swords clashing against one another resonated through the training room.

Piper and Leo were currently dodging through the obstacle course. Piper was ahead of Leo, gracefully moving across the equipment with Katoptris in her hand, stabbing the dummies set up across the course. She moved with the lightness and elegance of a dove, beautiful and angelic. Leo, unlike Piper, always had struggled with the obstacle course, and right now, he was swinging across the metal bar with a bit of struggle. He dropped to the floor in a roll and stood up, jumping up onto the platform set up.

Piper reached the end of the course and turned, watching Leo with a look of amusement on her face.

"Stop dragging ass, Leo!" She called, cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "I'm already done!"

Leo, startled, jumped off the platform and tried to land in a crouch, but stumbled and fell on his face. Piper busted up laughing, and behind me, Frank snorted and Hazel stifled a laugh.

"He was always bad at that," Hazel noticed, shaking her head and laughing.

The sound of Hazel's voice made everyone's heads turn, and it was then, looking at the broken and hidden sadness in their eyes that broke any sense of normality the scene beheld.

Leo scrambled up from his spot on the floor and grinned at them. "Hey guys! You wanna train with us and break possibly one or more of your own bones?"

* * *

"Where are the dogs, Frank?"

We were all seated around the meeting room table. With Annabeth and Bianca now gone, two spots were left open for Frank and Hazel. The thought of their absences made my chest constrict painfully, and I pushed the observation away.

Piper, having asked the question, was wiping the sweat off her face with the hem of her soft pink tank top, her cheeks flushed and hair matted to her forehead.

"They're in the garage. I took them out of the van and fed them some food and water. I figured we might need them," Frank replied, shifting in his seat.

"Good," I said, tapping my fingers on the table. "They might help us track Annabeth. If I do send you and Hazel, it'll be to Lower Manhattan. I don't believe anyone's checked there."

Hazel nodded. "All right. Who will come with us?"

"Clarisse and Connor and Travis's groups will go with you," Jason said, him and I having already discussed the matter. "You'll cover more ground that way. Each group will get a dog."

"What about Rachel Eliza-Bitch Dare?" Thalia asked, twirling a hunting knife on the table, her blue eyes flashing.

Leo stifled a laugh at the nickname, and I compressed a smile of my own as the others snickered.

"She can rot in that cell, for all I care," I replied, shrugging. "But sooner or later we might have to ask her some questions."

"And Jordan?" Nico drawled, twisting the ring on his finger.

I sighed. "He said that in two days we should be getting a video conference from whoever's leading this shit-hole. I told him that if I don't get answers, I'll go over there and kill him."

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Hazel asked, her gold eyes glinting.

I shrugged, though I felt a twinge of doubt. This was Jordan, a guy I'd trained and helped for years. I had trusted him then, but now, that trust was all gone.

 _Trust is like medicine,_ I remembered Annabeth saying to me. It wasn't long ago, but it felt like ages. _Abuse it's goodness and it can be the end of everything._

"Unless he wants to die," I said nonchalantly. "Then he needs to tell the truth."

"What if they're not even in New York?" Reyna asked, her face pensive. She looked at me, her eyes flashing with doubt. "What if they took her somewhere else?"

I felt a sharp stab to my chest. I had been thinking of that before. What if she wasn't even in America anymore? What if she's even in another country? No. I can practically _feel_ her near me. She isn't so far. She's somewhere nearby- somewhere in New York.

"No," I said, voicing my thoughts. "She has to be somewhere in New York. It wouldn't make sense if they took her some place else. If they want her to bargain with, she should be near, not thousands of miles away. She's the fish. We're the hook, trying to reel her back in. And fishes are always near the hook, one way or another."

They all stared at me, expressions thoughtful and uncertain.

"Well," Leo said, breaking the silence. "That's a weird way to put it, but you're right. She shouldn't be too far. As long as we have something of hers, we can use the help of the dogs to track her down."

I nodded and turned my gaze to Piper, Nico and Leo. "You guys will have to alternate staying in the monitoring room all day tomorrow. I'm not sure how that video will arrive to us, but I presume it'll be through those cameras."

"And if it doesn't come?" Nico asked, eyes dark.

I shrugged. "We go to Jordan and kill him," I said simply. "Jason, Reyna, Thalia and I will accompany Frank and Hazel. We'll go tomorrow early in the morning tomorrow."

I looked at Leo, my eyebrows furrowed. "Did Hephaestus say anything about the cameras when you talked to him earlier?"

Leo nodded. "He even sent me a picture of them. They're really small. They'll be set up all over Manhattan tomorrow evening by the latest."

"Very well," I said, tapping my fingers against my knee. I glanced at the others, their expressions weary and exhaustion written all over their faces.

"It's late," I announced, starting to rise up from my chair. "We should all get some rest. I have to talk to my father and settle some other things. Hazel, Frank, there are plenty of spare rooms. Share one, for all I care. Just get some rest. You'll need it."

"What about you?" Hazel asked, her lustrous yellow eyes filled with worry. "Will you get some sleep?"

 _Of course I will,_ I was about to say, but I couldn't help but glance at Thalia, and I quickly caught myself. She was staring at me impassively, but their was a look in her eyes that made me rethink my answer.

 _Don't lie to them. Remember your talk with Thalia. Don't shut them out. Don't lie about what your motives and feelings really are._

I compressed a sigh. Right. This was harder than I thought.

I looked at Hazel right in the eyes, finally letting the sadness and miserableness show on my face.

"No," I replied honestly, my voice void of emotion. "Not until Annabeth is back safely in my arms."

* * *

I was heading up the upstairs with the others trailing behind me, but was cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

We all immediately froze.

We waited for a little, and the doorbell rung again. On instinct, the others pulled out their weapons. I held up my hand, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Wait here," I ordered, starting down the stairs. Everyone had their weapons pointed at the doorway, and I approached it with caution. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest, my pulse pumping. _What if it's Annabeth?_ I couldn't help but think.

My hopes up way higher than they should be, I pulled open the door as I pulled out my gun, pointing it at the man standing outside.

"Will?" I said, perplexed. His blue eyes were wide as his hands were held up in surrender.

"Don't kill me," he said, "It's me, Will Solace."

I help up my hand for the others, who I sensed lowered their weapons behind me. I heard them let out a sigh of relief, and I couldn't help but feel that too. But also, I felt disappointed. I was hoping it would be Annabeth so much it actually hurt. So much for hoping. All it did was make you feel like you were flying in the air one minute, and crashing like a fallen angel the next.

"Will, what are you doing here?" I demanded, still confused. "You know it's too dangerous to be out in New York right now. Much less being near me."

He cleared his throat, and his golden skinned cheeks suddenly took on a pink tint, even under the silhouette of the moon. _What?_

His cheeriness was gone, replaced by a bashfulness that almost made me smile.

"I, um, actually came to see Nico," he admitted, his ears a bright red. I heard someone let out a giggle behind me. Piper. I restrained from rolling my eyes. "Is he here?"

I stifled a smile. I vaguely remembered Will holding Nico as he cried when we were at the hospital. When Bianca died.

I looked behind me to see Nico hiding behind one of the columns of the living room. He was frantically shaking his head, eyes wide and firm.

I turned back to Will, grinning. "Why, yes he is. Come on in, Will."

He gave me a smile and stepped into the house, eyes scanning the entrance. Nico had stepped out from behind the column, now visible, clad in black, standing out brighter than a flashing red light in the creamy colors of the house.

He cleared his throat, his pale cheeks flushed. My grin grew even wider.

"Hey, Will," he muttered.

Will was smiling broadly. "Hey, Nico."

"Why don't you two head on upstairs?" Piper suggested, her eyes bright and flashing green, blue and brown. She was enjoying this way too much. "We were all headed up there anyway."

Nico discreetly shot her a death glare and turned back to Will. He sighed, cheeks still pink. "Come on, Will."

He lead the way up the stairs, Will trailing behind him like a bright, golden puppy. I let out a laugh. They were literally the living definition of 'polar opposites.'

Only when they disappeared out of sight that Piper and Hazel let out bubbly laughs.

"Oh, Nico," Hazel laughed, eyes shining. "Looks like he won't be single forever."

"Oh my God, this is perfect," Piper said, grinning brightly.

"All right, all right, calm down," I said, closing the door and starting up the stairs, chuckling. "Nico will kill you both if you keep acting like this."

"Too bad," Piper sang. "He's definitely hearing from me tomorrow."

"Looks like you have your death wish, then," Reyna sighed.

I felt a pang at her words. Reyna, I'm sure we all have one now.

* * *

I picked up my phone from the drawer, clicking it on. I winced.

I had 23 missing calls, 35 texts, and 15 voice mails.

Oh, The Olympians. So persistent.

I sighed and pressed a hand to my forehead, sinking onto my bed. First things first, I had to call Poseidon.

I dialed his number and pressed the phone against my ear, the ringing sound sending a tremor through my body.

Finally, he answered.

"Perseus?" He said, and I clenched my teeth. "What's wrong?"

"Are you serious?" I snapped, feeling frustration begin to bubble in my stomach. Not even five seconds into the call and this man was already pissing me off. "You know why I'm calling. You of all people should know."

He didn't say anything for a while. I heard some movement, and I could imagine him sitting down in his chair in his office. He sighed. "Look, Perseus-"

"Percy," I replied sharply, cutting him off. "It's Percy."

He sighed once again, and I could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"Look, Percy. I know about Annabeth. We've been trying to find her location but we can't find anything. The people we're dealing with have thought things through quite enough. Hephaestus is currently working on building new cameras to replace the others. They'll be set up tomorrow evening."

"I know that already," I said, closing my eyes. "I just don't know what to do right now."

"Well, I presume you know that Annabeth is their bargaining item," Poseidon pointed out. "They know you care about her, so much to give them whatever they want."

I sank down onto my pillows, rubbing my face. My head was pounding, the thought of her getting hurt because of me bringing on an unimaginable pain. It felt worse than anything I've ever felt before. Worse than any punch, kick or stab in my lifetime of danger. I should've never taken her in. I should've never showed her any kindness. I should've never cared for her.

"Perseus?"

My father's voice jarred me from my thoughts. I scowled. "But what is it that they want? Why _now?_ Why when Annabeth was introduced to The Olympians? it just doesn't make sense. What could they possibly want from us?"

Poseidon clucked his tongue on the other line. "I have something in mind, and I'm hoping that's not what I think it is. Also, they seem to be targeting the Chase family specifically. Think about it. First Athena, now Annabeth. The leader of this thing seems to have some personal vendetta against them. What they did to anger that person, I have no idea, but it must've have been something very bad."

I rubbed my jaw. I needed to shave.

"But Annabeth hasn't done anything that might upset someone," I pointed out. "I don't think Athena has either."

"We don't know that," Poseidon said. "For all we know, this person might have some bitterness against them for years now. Besides, this whole thing is planned to elaborately to have been just this year. This situation has been planned over for years."

I pressed my lips together. This was true enough, and the more I thought about it, the more it filled me with dread.

"I guess you're right," I admitted. I sighed. "Jordan told me to expect some sort of video to give me some answers. I bet it's definitely going to include what they want from us."

"Well, if it does come, call me," Poseidon said. "One can only hope for the best. I have to go now, Perseu- Percy. I will talk to you soon."

"All right," I said, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Bye, Dad."

"Goodbye."

I hung up and set the phone down beside me, contemplating all of this. So many alternatives. So many questions. So much of everything.

As much as I felt tired, I knew I wouldn't be able to go to sleep. Now, even just closing my eyes, I had to open them again.

Because, like I told Hazel, with all honesty, I will not rest until Annabeth Chase is back in the safety of my arms.

Until then, I will not shut my eyes for a second.

* * *

 **AWW Percy. You're going to be the end of yourself because of your lo- I mean affection for the one and only, Annabeth Chase.**

 **How'd you guys like this chapter? No cliffy this time, you're welcome. I snuck some Solangelo in there for y'all. It was about time. And oh, little Isabelle. I love writing about her. *Cough cough Isabelle Lightwood is a queen so this one should be one too cough cough* God, my throat hurts from all that coughing.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY MERRY CHRISTMAS! BE HAPPY AND AMAZING AND FANTABULOUS! Also, I have some ideas for stories on my profile page, so please go check that out. I need to start planning some new stories after this one's over. *Sobs* I can't believe it's almost over. So yeah! Check them out when you have time ((: I'll include my summary for a story I _want_ to write, but still not sure on my profile too. Sometime soon.**

 **LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!**

 **~KAT! :DD**


	46. Chapter 45

**Hey guys! How are you all? EARLY UPDATE TIME! How was your Christmas or whatever you celebrate? Mine was fun ((: Welp, I'm back with another chapter. I'll try not to leave you all a sobbing mess (':**

 _ **michellePJOHOO:**_ **Not just yet, my friend (':**

 _ **thesweetscentofbooks:**_ **Sadly, yes, it almost is. Aww, you're so kind. I'm not sure about a book, but I will definitely keep on writing ((:**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Omfgs, I love them all. Clary is as fiery as her red hair. Goddamn. I just finished reading City of Lost Souls, and I almost cried. Malec...my heart ))))': I'm anxiously waiting to read City of Heavenly Fire 0-0 I'm praying to the gods everything will be okay. Valentine can go to Tartarus :D Along with Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern.**

 _ **percabethlover:**_ **You're so very welcome. But honestly, I should be thanking you all for all the support you have given me. I never thought I'd get this much. At first, not many people read this story, but I kept going, because writing this story brought on a happiness I can not describe. I never wrote it for attention. I wrote it for those who would read it, like it, and keep reading. I did it for my happiness. I had finally found a way to release all my emotions, and I loved it. So really, thank _you_. I'm so honored to write a story that makes you feel happy, because that's what I'm looking for (: I will always be grateful to you all. Thank you so much. You deserve all the happiness in the universe. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your kind words and support. It means so much, you have no idea. I hope you live a wonderful life full of happiness and love. Thank you again, darling. As for your questions, I live in the United States, in Illinois. That's as far as I will tell you (: As for my age... between 13-16 ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you! And oh wow. I wouldn't say I'm _that_ talented, but thank you (: Thank you for your words...they warm my heart. i really hope I make big in life as well :D And you too! Live happily and with peace and love ((:**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **I'm glad you too! I love writing about her ((: Thank you so much! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! (or whatever you celebrating) Have an amazing rest of your week ((:**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **I can't believe it either! It feels like just yesterday I was planning this whole thing. I'm sad too )): If you want to see what else I have planned, simply go to my profile and check out the story ideas I have on there (: I love you too, and I'm glad you think that! As for Frank and Hazel, I had to bring them in. I love them too. I can't wait to write about Percy reacting to what is going on. He's going to go ballistic. That's always fun to write ((: I hope you had a wonderful holiday! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker: (What you said last chapter):**_ Hey, I don't remember what I've reviewed last time, but duh, there are going to be so many alternatives, and I just want to say that you should keep the version you think its the best, because I'm just a reader. My alternatives are just what came to my mind. So what I'm trying to say here is probably, don't change/ rewrite anything, just, don't feel pressured. I don't want you to consider rewriting it my way just because I suggested saying... I love your work and I can offer you some other alternatives for some scenes, but I'm sure you'd much more appreciate sticking to your own plan. I hope I don't sound too forward or offending, because I'm really just very in to this story of yours.

 **My answer: There always will be ((: And don't worry at all. Even though there are many ways I can go, I will stick to the one I think is most interesting. I'm sure your ideas are amazing (: But thank you for enjoying this story so much that you're even thinking of different ways it can go. Never thought I'd go this far to make my readers do that. You're not offending me in any way, don't worry. Thank you, though :D**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **HEEYYY GAUTII! I HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL HOLLY-JOLLY CHRISTMASS! You're welcome! I'm glad you loved it! Luke isn't even a bastard- it's an offence to the word itself. He ain't a man. He's the spawn of the devil himself. And thanks! I'll definitely have to get some for this *cough* cough. And he does, doesn't he? Haha, "once upon a time." Same. And yeah. Percy is learning bit by bit. And who knows? Maybe he will deliver some presents. Lmao, just kidding. Percy's not about that life. And I did! I loved them ((: I'm so sad too )): It's like I barely started this story. And OMFGS. When it was Christmas and we were celebrating, I did keep saying, "Happy Christmas," and everyone just looked at me like, "wtf? Its Merry Christmas, dumbass." So thanks for that. That was hilarious. And I'll try my best ((:**

 _ **Amin DUncan-Pope:**_ **I'll see if everyone agrees with that story idea. I was watching the movie _Gladiator,_ and I was like, "hey...this would be a great story idea." So yeah, I'll see what happens. I have a poll up already if you'd like to check it out ((: And that's so true. I love princess Annabeth and badass Percy. **

_**Stargazer1300:**_ **Glad you thought so, Kass ((: I loved writing that scene. Isabelle is too adorable to pass up. And how does that happen? "Adorably depressing?" XD I guess anything can happen. Oh, Percy... writing about him makes me love him even more. He's just a scared man wanting his girl to come back. And I had to add Solangelo. They're my babies. And phew. It was so important to get you not to hate me anymore, I made this an easy-going chappie. So thanks for not hating me love! And Kass, it's "Merry Christmas," not "Happy Christmas." Lmao, just kidding. I kept saying that too, and everyone gave me, "wtf" looks. SEE YOU SOON BBG, ILYSM**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **HAPPY** **CHRISTMAS! Thanks for knowing what I mean without sounding like a bastard ((: And omgs, I get what you mean about making noises you didn't know you were capable of. I do that a lot. Solangelo is so worth it. And you liked that idea? I did too, but I can't decide which one is the best. Damn me and my ideas. I have a poll up already, so feel free to check that out :D**

 _ **awade0143:**_ **...You good there? Yeah? Okay, good :D Don't want you dying there. Happy Christmas!**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Thank you! Nico did hate it, but he secretly loved it. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well!**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **I do love Solangelo! They're my babies and I love them so much. They came out of nowhere and I loved it. How they're both literally polar opposites but they make it work, and how Nico acts like he hates Will but we all know he loves him so much- I need to stop. I just love them. Merry Christmas to you too, Cinder! When do you think the next chapter of The Order will come out?**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I'm glad you do! I'm sad too ): It feels like I barely started writing it. Thank you so much though! And you like that one? Awesome ((: I'll be putting a poll up soon, so make sure to check that out to see which story you'd like me to write next!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Thanks! And ohoohohhh, you're sure in for it, then ((: I'll try not to, but really, you should be saying that to The Olympians and Frederick and Luke. And Solangelo's here! I love them.**

 _ **Anon:**_ **Happy Christmas! And you'll see my friend (;;; They will sure be aching for one another though. Hope you had a good one as well! I enjoyed mine! xxx**

 _ **Shoook:**_ **I'll see what I can do ((:**

 ** _Guest:_ Baha, I had to add that in there. I'd come up with it the other day and knew Thalia had to be the one to say it XD I love her too. **

_**sapphirelg:**_ **I can't believe it either. And don't worry! I totally understand. Family can take up so much of your time. Will and Nico are life. I hope you have a wonderful week as well!**

 ** _unclerick:_ Nahh, you're fine. And yes she is! She's a sweet little thing. Annabeth and Sally just want to protect her from the awful, horrible, dangerous truth. And true, true. I should know. Isabelle might have some thoughts. Yes he should. No one likes him. I love Solangelo! Some of you had requested for it, and I managed to squeeze it in there. Awww Nico...he's so cute. Nico is doing pretty well (: Besides, Will's there to help him cope (; Doctor's orders. Poseidon needs to get his head in the game. *Cue High School Musical song* Oh, Percy. When will you realize it? Who knows? You'll have to keep reading (; Thank you and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

The next morning, I woke up with energy and tension pulsing through my veins.

Today was the day I would go looking for Annabeth.

I could only hope that this plan would work.

I quickly showered, dressed, made my bed, and checked to see if I had all my gear. I clicked on my phone to see two more missing calls from two different Olympian members. I sighed, last night I'd spent it returning any calls and text messages, explaining what was going on. I told them to stay on lock down in the meantime. Looks like some still had some questions.

I shut it off and pocketed it in my black jeans. Scanning my room one last time, I took a deep breath and exhaled. Then I turned and left.

* * *

I entered the kitchen, spotting Hazel, Frank, Jason, Reyna and Thalia eating on the kitchen island.

"Wow," I said, walking over to a cupboard and opening it up. "You guys beat me in here."

"No," Thalia said, munching on a bagel. "You just take forever."

I made a face at her as I grabbed a box of granola. I opened the fridge and took out a can Greek yogurt, pouring it into a bowl. I sprinkled some granola over it and settled myself on top of the counter.

"So," Jason said, blue eyes flickering over to me. "What's the game plan?"

I pointed my spoon at him. "Go in. Get the dogs to find her. Grab Annabeth and Athena. Kill Luke. Kill everyone. Get out."

"But how many people will be there, anyway?" Hazel asked, gold eyes focused on me. "We have no idea how many we're up against. I say we go in unnoticed if we do find her location, find her, and get out without attracting attention to ourselves."

Reyna nodded. "I agree with Hazel. If we do get her and get an insight on how they're playing things, then we come back and form a plan to take them down."

I swallowed down yogurt and granola and set down the bowl, jumping off the counter. "All right. Sounds good. We have to leave now, though. The sooner, the better."

They all finished the rest of their breakfast, quickly putting their dishes away. They checked their weapons over. We were all pretty much dressed in black; the less they saw of us, the better.

"Frank, go get the dogs and van ready. Hazel, go help him," I ordered, twirling a knife in my hand. They both nodded and left. I turned to Thalia and Reyna. "You two, go fill a bag with weapons from the weapons room. Try to get more long ranged ones in case we see anyone from afar. Thalia, you're bringing your bow, right?"

She nodded.

"Good. Reyna, bring at least two spears. Pack plenty of arrows, at least three swords, and guns for each of us. Bring the bag straight to the van outside."

The two girls nodded- Thalia mock-saluting, and left.

I faced Jason, who was staring at me with intense blue eyes. "Go check with the ones who are going to stay here to make sure they monitor us with what cameras we have left. Tell them to stay in there in case the video comes in. If it does, they call me immediately."

Jason nodded and started on his way, but hesitated. He turned to me and clapped me on the shoulder. "We'll get her back," he said firmly, expression serious.

I gave him a strained smile, even as I felt a surge of anger wash over me, thinking about her all locked up with no one to be there for her. "Thanks, man. But even if I don't, I will tear down this whole city with my bare hands if it means getting her back."

* * *

About half an hour later, we had loaded up the van and were getting ready to leave.

I was at the back of the van, greeting all the dogs. Their tails were wagging back and forth like whirring helicopter blades. Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack jumped up onto my chest and sent me crashing to the floor. They leaned down and licked a long trail across my face.

"Aw, come on," I said, bringing a hand up to wipe off the saliva that now coated my face. The two dogs seemed to grin down at me as their tongues lolled out of their mouths.

Hazel laughed as she nuzzled Arion. "They missed you."

I grinned up at the dogs, scratching them behind their ears. "Of course they would. I'm the most miss-able person in this world."

Reyna rolled her eyes as she petted Scipio, who dug his face under her arm. "That isn't even a word."

I turned and winked at her. "It is now."

"You guys," Jason called as he came around the side of the van and hit it with his hand to get his attention. "We're ready now. Everything's set."

I rolled out from under the dogs, who whined and let out barks of protest. I stood up and dusted off my clothes.

Thalia glanced at me, her blue orbs flashing. "You have it?"

I pulled out the piece of pillow case, and even as I did, I felt the scent of lemons wash over me, filling me with anxiety and an aching pain.

They all nodded and looked at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath and swallowed it down. "Well, let's go then."

* * *

We drove into the city and wound our way through the traffic. Clarisse and Travis and Connor were sent into the outskirts of the city while we looked for our location. Once we knew where Annabeth was, we'd contact them, and they'd join us in a matter of minutes.

Frank navigated us near a secluded part of Manhattan, just by the edge of the city. A forest was lined up right in the location, causing everywhere we looked to be green. I'd sent members out into as many parts of Manhattan as I could, some even bringing dogs with them, but they could never find her. This location was our only chance.

I jumped out of the car, heading outback to open the door for the dogs. They jumped out, now no-nonsense. They sniffed the air and looked around, taking in their surroundings. Their ears are pricked up in alert, eyes wide and sharp.

I crouch down next to them as the others pile out of the car, weapons in hand. Frank takes out the bag full of weapons and easily swings it over one shoulder.

I take out the piece of pillow case, the one Annabeth used to sleep on, and hold it out to the dogs. "Smell," I command, and they immediately surround the piece of fabric, sniffing it.

I give them a few seconds before putting the fabric away. They look at me with intense eyes, burning into mine.

"Now," I say, my voice low and firm. "Search."

They instantly put their noses to the ground and start smelling, trying to pick up her scent. Scipio and Arion sniffed the air, ears lifting in different directions. The four dogs begin to lead us further into the forest.

We ventured into the woods for about two hours, and by then, my nerves felt like they were on fire. What if the dogs couldn't find out where she was? What if she was too far away to pick up her scent? What if they're not even in Manhattan?

The others were quiet as we walked, eyes narrowed and scanning our surroundings each step we took. I felt anger make my blood roar in my ears. What did they want from her? Why her, of all people? I knew that if given the chance, I'd replace myself with Annabeth any time, any day, even if it meant bearing any sort of pain imaginable. I don't care if they hurt me; as long as they _never_ touch her again.

Thalia sighed. "You guys, what if this isn't even the right location? I mean, I know we checked in literally every building and street in Manhattan and she wasn't there, but still. How are we sure this is the only place they're located?"

"We aren't," I replied, keeping my eyes on the trees in front of us. "But I just have a feeling. She's near us. I know she is."

As if on cue, Arion let out a sharp bark. The other dogs snapped their heads up and pattered over to where Arion was standing, his warm warm brown eyes gazing into mine, almost proudly.

"He's got a scent," I breathed.

The other dogs began to bark as well, looking at me apprehensively. I nodded at them, feeling my heart pound furiously against my chest.

"Find her."

* * *

We ventured for about an hour more, the dogs milling in a confident manner, as if they were positive that the direction they were leading us in was the right one.

I could only hope it was.

Sticks and branches cracked under our feet as we walked, the only sound filling the air. I glanced at the others. They still seemed to have some energy left in them, even after three hours of walking. Their footsteps were still sure and strong as they walked, and even though their shoulders began to slump with exhaustion, I knew that if a fight kicked in, they'd still be able to tear them apart in a blink of an eye.

The trees seemed to blur together as we continued to walk, creating a shade from the sun shining brightly above. My mind was whirling, Annabeth's name echoing over and over, like a mantra that would be the thing that would help me find her.

Suddenly, another thought hit me.

Would she even forgive me, after seeing that scene with Rachel? Would she even listen to me? Would she believe me?

No. Even if she did or didn't, the only thing that mattered to me most right now was getting her back, keeping her safe, and making sure she was away from this danger. And that danger was me.

My heart ached just thinking about it.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sharp bark, let out by Mrs. O'Leary.

I looked up and saw it.

A warehouse.

And Annabeth, somewhere, was inside it.

Jason was already pulling out his phone and dialing a number, his face ashen as he pressed it to his ear.

"Hey- Travis? Yeah, it's Jason. Call Clarisse. Tell her we've found the warehouse."

* * *

Twenty mintues later, Clarisse, Travis and Connor had arrived.

"So, what's the plan?" Clarisse asked, crossing her arms and gazing at the now small-looking warehouse. We'd moved away from it as to not be seen and settled behind the safety of five thick trees.

The amount of twenty members stared back at me, faces slightly pale. I looked at them, keeping my gaze confident and unwavering.

"Clarisse, you lead your group to the back of the warehouse. Try to go unnoticed. Check as many rooms as you can. If you come to face-to-face with anyone, kill them. Don't hesitate," I said. She nodded, her brown eyes flashing.

"Travis, Connor- you lead your members around the sides of the warehouse. See if there are any entrances through there. If there are, go in. Do the same as I told Clarisse," I ordered. They all nodded.

"I'll be leading my group through the front of the warehouse. I'm sure we'll intercept some people through there, so if you hear any guns go off, just keep going. Now, go."

They began to walk in the direction of the warehouse, when I stopped them.

"One more thing," I said, and they turned, looking at me questioningly. My eyes turned steely, anger suddenly running through me. "If you see Luke Castellan, don't kill him. I want you to bring him back to me alive. He's mine to kill."

* * *

I led them into the warehouse, which was huge. It was eerie, stepping in and seeing no one there. I cocked my gun in front of me as I walked further into the building. No one was there. No one was milling around. It was empty.

My heart pounded against my rib cage. What if this wasn't even the right warehouse?

"Hey!"

I whipped around to see a young man about my age staring at us, seeming to be mid-step as he came around from behind a corner. His eyes were cold as he took out what seemed like a walkie-talkie from his back pocket.

"They're here-" he started to say, but was cut short as an arrow whizzed into his chest, sending him thumping to the floor.

Thalia grinned, winking at me. "This is the place all right."

"Good," I said, scanning the warehouse. Railings and glass catwalks were above us, leading in different directions. The place was brightly lit by lamps, hanging from the ceiling. The floor was marble and sleek, the color a smooth gray. A couple of boxes were nestled here and there.

"We should hurry," Reyna said, twirling her hunting knives in anticipation. "The rest of them should be here any minute-"

The sound of guns being cocked cut her off.

I looked up. About six men were lined up on the catwalk, guns pointed directly at us. Six more came from a hallway to our left, two with crossbows and the other two with knives. One had his gun cocked directly at me. And to the hallway to our left, six more came in, each one with a sword in hand.

We were surrounded.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

"So, that's why I'm here."

I said as I slowly ran my fingers through Isabelle's long chocolate waves, smoothing out the strands.

Sally let out a shaky breath, her face ashen. "Oh, Annabeth," she said, her voice brittle. She leaned forward and wrapped me in a hug.

I had been playing patty-cake with Isabelle and teaching her words in ancient Greek when Sally had come over and sat in front of me. She'd asked me to tell her the full story, the real one, of how I'd gotten here. I had hesitated. That story seemed like one of ages ago. I went back two months, going about my daily life, only to get pulled into a whole other world in a matter of seconds.

It made sense, actually. Fainting into unconsciousness only to wake up in a what seemed like a whole other dimension, one where I was a whole new person. One where I became a whole new person in a blink of an eye. I'd met people I didn't even know existed, only to find out I was related and connected to them more than I realized. I'd learned new things, things that I didn't even know about _myself._ I'd been reminded of how it feels like to care about others again, to care about a man so much it hurt. I'd learned what it felt like to worry about others, to be scared for them, so that when they left somewhere, I'd be at the edge of my seat waiting until they came back, only to let out that deep, stomach-quenching breath I had no idea I was even holding. I'd learned to value the moments I spent with someone, every single one, for the chance that it might be the last time I let out a single breath in front of that person ever.

So now, thinking back to that moment, the last moment of relaxation I would ever get, with the familiar feeling of shopping bags weighing me down and the thought of the next photo shoot I had, running from that crowd of paparazzi like any normal day, I was relieved to have been pulled into that alley, into a world I never even knew existed. Only then, did I thank the monster I call a father, for introducing me to a life that changed me, for the better, and for letting me meet such incredible people, some of which personalities shine brighter than the stars above. The stars that guided me to a whole new Annabeth Chase, one that did not back down. Not anymore.

So I told her. I told Sally my story, how I became this new person. I told her of my pain, my sadness, my thoughts. I shared my impressions of the others, emitting a few laughs from her. I told her about how much I hated Percy, how much I despised him for taking me away from my old life. I told her about going to that bar; killing that man. I recounted the whirl of emotions I'd felt when I had talked to Melissa for the last time in person. I told her about the rest of the events that occurred; talking to my Mother, beginning to warm up to Percy and the others, traveling to Los Angeles and Chicago. I even told her about opening up to Percy and sharing my heartache with him, trusting him enough to agree to try again.

Sally had given me a sad smile as I recounted that to her, choking on my own words and tears. I told her about how terrified I was when the headquarters at Los Angeles had been attacked. I'd told her how scared I was when I'd been sent on that mission to interrogate Mark Evans and Jayden Harris. The horror I felt seeing Jose slit his throat open, just to keep the plans of Frederick's a secret.

Sally nodded and shook her head at the right moments and smiled and laughed when I repeated something that Percy or one of the others had said. She kept her eyes on me the entire time, and I found myself keeping my gaze locked on hers as well, unable to look away from her warm and encouraging eyes.

I told her about my conversations with the others, learning about them and bonding with them. I even talked to her about my conversation with Nico. Accidentally, the news of him having a crush on Percy slipped out, making Sally laugh and shake her head.

"Oh, sweet Nico," she said softly, smiling sadly. "I remember him."

Sally made me feel comfortable enough to even tell her about having sex with Percy for the first time. Her eyes had lit up as I told her the hurricane of emotions I'd felt when we did. I told her about how much I'd ached for him, but was scared to actually do it, (I'd kept it to minimum detail, as to little Isabelle staring at me with intense focus the entire time). I recounted Silena and Beckendorf's deaths, even Bianca's.

Sally had cried when I told her about Bianca dying, how her dark eyes had gazed up at the stars as she took her last breaths. I told her of the fear and anger that had washed over me when Luke had appeared in front of me for the first time in years. I told her how immobilized I'd felt, how I wanted to go up to him and punch him in the face, but could not move. I recalled the details of seeing Percy so angry- angrier than I'd ever seen him before, staring back at the man who'd raped me. I told her about Percy pouncing on Luke faster than I'd seen anyone move, how much my heart ached to see him almost tear a man apart with his bare hands for hurting me.

I shared everything with her. Speaking in front of the former Olympians. Going into my Mother's office only to see it strewn apart. About the pain I felt thinking I might never see her again. I told her about my motorcycle ride with Percy, which now, seemed like so long ago. I told her about what he'd shared with me- how doing all this dangerous shit was like sex to him. It made him feel alive, good about himself, made him feel _happy._

I finally told Sally about Percy walking into my room and announcing that he was going to go look for my Mother. I recalled the pain and fear I'd felt when he did, how much my body wanted to block the exit of the house, to keep him there with me, safe. But I couldn't. I'd let him leave, not knowing whether he would come back again, not yet being able to sort out the mess of emotions I felt towards him, growing stronger and stronger as the moments went by.

I shared with Sally the betrayal and utter _hurt_ I'd felt when I saw Rachel kissing Percy. I had felt as if my insides were being torn open with a knife, peeling away any shreds of care or affection I had left. I'd been so angry, so heartbroken. I hadn't given him a chance to explain, the one man on this earth who'd hurt me unintentionally and actually tried to tell me the truth. He'd actually cared for me- _me._ Whether I was the new Annabeth Chase, or the old one. He cared for me.

I told Sally how unfortunate yet how lucky I'd been to stumble into that alley, only to have my one and only true savior rescue me. As he'd been doing all along. How lucky I'd been to meet those people.

"Sometimes," I'd said as I gazed down at Isabelle, stroking her hair as she stared back up at me with wide eyes. "People change only once in their lives. Some might even stay the same. But they do that all on their own. It could be their decision whether to change or not. But me- I didn't get a decision. And I was lucky enough to have other people change me, in the best possible way any one could."

And through it all, through the whole story, Sally listened.

She actually listened.

I melted into Sally's hug, letting out a breath, shaky and relieved. I buried my face into her hair, breathing in her sweet, relaxing floral scent, and oddly- of cookies.

"Thank you," I whispered, squeezing her tightly. I felt a tear escape and trail down my cheek. "Thank you for listening."

"Of course," she said quietly, stroking my back. "Of course I would listen, sweetheart. Any time, any day."

"Hey," Isabelle protested, wiggling in between us. "I want a hug too."

I laughed, wiping away a tear. "How could we forget about you? Get in here."

Sally smiled as we wrapped ourselves into a hug, Isabelle sandwiched between us.

For the first time in days, I felt relaxed and content.

But that was until the metal door swung open.

Luke and Frederick walked in, flanked by two more burly men dressed in black.

"Grab them," my father growled, eyes dark with anger and lips pulled back in a snarl.

"What's going on?" I demanded, starting to rise from my position on the floor. The two men came around us and grabbed Sally and Isabelle.

"Mommy?" Isabelle said, voice scared and wavering.

"Don't touch them," I snarled, grabbing Isabelle and Sally and tugging them back to me.

"Luke," Frederick snapped, glaring at me. "Grab Annabeth."

Luke grinned. "Gladly."

He walked forward and grabbed my arm, his skin burning hot against mine.

This time, I didn't flinch when he did.

"Don't touch me!" I said sharply, pulling my arm out of his grip and glowering at him.

"Mommy, what's happening?" Isabelle asked, her lower lip trembling.

Sally simply pulled Isabelle close to her, burying her face into her thigh. Sally stared at my father, gaze cold.

"Frederick," she said, voice calm despite the situation. "What is going on?"

My father ran a hand through his hair. "I don't have time for this. Henry, Jack, grab them and lets go."

The two men pulled Sally and Isabelle apart, wrapping their meaty arms across their necks and stomachs.

Isabelle flailed in the man's grip, eyes tearing up. "Mommy!"

I felt my vision slowly turn red as I whirled on the man, glowering fiercely at him.

"I said, _don't touch her,"_ I growled and lunged for him, knocking him to the ground. Surprised, he let go of Isabelle, who ran and hid behind the bed, eyes wide and scared.

The man fought against me. He was twice the size I was, but my anger seemed to fuel me with strength as I wrestled with him, throwing punch after punch at his throat and face.

Suddenly, someone's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me off of the man- Jack, I presumed.

I struggled and kicked, knowing who was holding me all too well.

"Luke!" I snarled, wrenching in his grip. "Let me go!"

"Not a chance, Annababe," he whispered in my ear.

I let out a growl and twisted in his grip, freeing my arm. I grabbed his hand and flipped him over my shoulder, the strength of the action sending us both tumbling to the floor.

Luke scrambled on top of me and pinned me down to the floor, pressing my body hard against the cold concrete. I gritted my teeth and brought a hand up to slap it across his face, but he caught it, grinning down at me wickedly, as if a knife itself had cut up the cruel twist of his lips.

"I never knew you were this feisty, Annabeth," he said, his lips against my ear. He breathed in, and I could practically feel his grin against my skin. "I like that."

Anger surged through me as I drove my knee up into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. I shoved him off of me as hard as I could and scrambled to stand up and pounce on him again when Sally screamed my name.

I turned to see the man I'd knocked down wrap his bulky arms around me. I screamed and flailed like psychopath, rearing my head back to hit him in the face, but his face wasn't there.

"Let me _go!"_ I screamed, kicking and twisting.

Frederick walked up to me and cracked his hand across my face, so hard I felt my skin split open. Something trickled down my face. Blood.

"Shut up already," he growled lowly, eyes furious as they burned into mine.

I glared right back at him and spat at him, a trail of saliva running down his face. "Fuck you," I snarled quietly.

He clenched his jaw and brought a hand up to wipe the saliva off his face.

"Leave the bitch and the brat," he snapped at the two men. "We're only taking her."

The other guy let Sally go, and she dropped to the floor, sinking to her knees.

Isabelle let out a cry and ran to her mother, flinging her arms around her.

My father looked at them with distaste, almost disgust. I felt a growl rise in my throat, and I bit my cheek hard, enough to split the skin. This man deserved to rot in hell.

Only then did I hear the sound of popping noises, loud and distinct. I also heard shouts and the sound of metal clanking against metal. My eyes widened.

Percy.

He was here.

I _knew_ he was. I _felt_ it.

My savior was here to rescue me. If only he got here in time.

"Let's go," my father snapped, jarring me from my thoughts.

The men began to drag me out of the room, and my screams tore out of my throat, renewed and louder than before.

"Annabeth!" Isabelle cried, running towards me, tears streaming out of her cheeks. Sally shot out and grabbed her, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her to her chest.

"Percy's here!" I screamed, my voice breaking as I desperately trying to wrench myself from the man's grip. I strained to see them as I was dragged out of the doorway, the sounds of fighting getting louder. "He'll come get you guys!"

"Annabeth!" Isabelle screamed, her voice raw and pained. "Come back!"

The last thing I saw before the door closed was Isabelle fighting to get to me, and Sally, tears streaming down her face as she stared back at me and gripped Isabelle tightly.

Before my father shut the door, Sally mouthed two words to me, clear in my head.

 _Stay alive._

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I raised my gun and fired at two incoming men, making them crumple to the floor.

"Percy!"

I whirled around to see a guy running at me, sword raised in the air, preparing to ram it into me.

I flipped around at the last second and let him barrel past me, cocking my gun and shooting a bullet straight towards his head. I reached into my belt and whipped out a hunting knife, throwing it so it impaled in the chest of a man aiming his gun at Reyna from the catwalk. He flipped over the railing and fell to the floor.

I scanned the place to see Reyna flip a guy over her shoulder, all while stabbing him in the chest with a knife. Thalia was flinging a guy across the entrance, making him slam into a wall and crumple to the floor. Hazel and Frank were fighting side by side, slashing and hacking at any guy that came near them.

"Percy," Jason called a few feet away from me. I turned as he tossed a sword at me. I grinned.

"Thanks, man."

He nodded and glanced behind me, a smile of dry amusement dancing on his lips. "Look out."

I turned just as another man slashed at me with his sword, and I raised mine, blocking the blow. He turned and tried to hack at me again, but I swiftly twisted my sword into his and flicked my wrist, sending it skittering across the floor. I grinned and winked at him before bringing my sword up, leading a trail of blood from his sternum down his stomach.

He blinked at me before collapsing to the floor.

A laugh escaped my lips. It felt like ages since I'd done this. But if so, what was that feeling churning in my stomach? It was a small feeling, I could barely feel it, but it was there. Remorse?

I shook my head to clear those thoughts as a burly guy with dark skin flung himself at me, knocking me over in surprise.

We wrestled on the floor, and I managed to roll us over and throw some punches at his face and throat. The guy glared up at me with dark eyes and pushed me off. He jumped on top of me and closed his hands around my neck, squeezing hard.

I smirked up at the guy and brought my fist up hard, colliding it with his temple. His grip momentarily loosened, and in one swift move, I brought my feet up under me and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him sprawling to the floor.

I stood up and grab him by the shoulders, hauling him up into a sitting position. I twisted around so I was on back of him and wrapped my arm across his neck, pressing my forearm into his throat and wrapping my other hand around his head.

I applied more pressure to his throat. The guy was twice my size, but he seemed dazed, which played in favor to me.

"Thought you were going to choke me to death, ey?" I whispered, chuckling. "I don't think so."

The guy made a strangled sound and clawed at my forearm. I tightened my grip around his neck and grinned as he wheezed.

"I'll make this quick," I said quietly, readjusting my hold on him. I grabbed the top of his head and placed my other hand around his jaw. In one quick twist, I heard a snap, and then he went limp.

I stood up, leaving him lying helplessly on the floor. I heard a shout behind me and turned to see a man throw a knife straight in my direction. I rolled to the side a second to late, just as the knife skimmed my arm, ripping through my shirt and grazing my skin. I gritted my teeth as a painful stinging sensation rose up my arm, blood pooling from the cut.

Jason pulled out his own gun and aimed it at the guy, pulling on the trigger. The man fell to the floor.

Jason glanced at me, eyebrows furrowed. "You okay?"

I nodded, standing up. "I'm fine. Barely touched me."

Jason studied me before letting his blue eyes scan the entrance. It seemed like more men were pooling in, filling up the entrance. I locked my jaw. There were too many.

"Watch out," Jason said, pushing me aside and driving his sword into the stomach of an incoming guy. The man sank to his knees.

"Thanks," I replied, reaching into my belt and pulling out two knives the length of my forearm.

Distantly, I heard dogs growling and scanned the place to see the dogs pouncing on men and sinking their teeth into any skin they could access.

I grinned. Good dogs.

"You should go find her," Jason said, raising his gun and shooting two men that were on the catwalk down. He faced me, blue eyes dark. "Go find Annabeth. We got it from here."

I nodded, clapping him on the arm. "Thanks man. Clarisse and Connor and Travis should be here somewhere. I'm pretty sure they heard the fight break out. I'll be back."

Jason nodded. "Good luck."

Without another word, I ran in the direction of the darkest hallway, figuring that would make more sense. I dodged men and drove my knives through some of them as I went, making them crumple to the floor.

I felt a stab of doubt. This place was huge. How would I find her?

I soon disappeared into the hallway, dimly lit by a couple of light bulbs. I passed many doors as I went, and opened each one, only to find it empty. Some were filled with boxes, while others were vacant and cold.

I ran and ran, kicking down doors, only to find them empty.

Anger was surging through me. I would find her. If it was the last thing I did.

As I ran, one of the doors opened, and a man stepped out. I barreled into him and knocked him to the ground. I held him down to the ground hard, pressing my hands into his neck.

"Where is she?" I growled, shaking him. "Where the fuck is she?"

The man's eyes were wide with fear and he shook his head frantically. "I-I don't kn-know what you're ta-talking about."

"Don't lie to me," I snarled, pressing my hands into his throat. "Where is she? Where's Annabeth Chase?"

"An-Annabeth Chase?" The guy stuttered, before realization settled into his eyes, making them darken with fear greater than before. "You're Percy Jackson?"

"Yes I'm Percy Jackson," I snapped, my voice tight and low with anger. "Now answer my fucking question. Where is she?"

"I'm not supposed to-to share that inform-information," he said, voice shaking.

"Well I don't give a fuck," I snarled. "Are you going to keep that information from me, or would you rather I plant a hole in the middle of your head? I won't hesitate."

"Please, please don't," he pleaded, shaking his head vigorously.

I took out my gun from my back pocket, pressing it to his temple. " _Then tell me."_

"H-how about I show you instead?" He stuttered.

I let a cold smile slip onto my lips. "Even better."

* * *

The man led me through a series of corridors, the light bulbs that illuminated them flickering.

I kept my gun pressed against the back of his head, cocked and ready to let out a bullet if he made any moves.

"You better be leading me in the right direction," I growled, pressing my gun closer to his head.

He nodded quickly, turning and leading me down another hallway.

Soon, he stopped in front of a metal door at the end of the hallway. There was another door at the end of the hall that seemed to lead down some stairs.

"She should be in here," he said in a wavering voice, swallowing hard.

I nodded, then peered at him. His eyes darted to the floor, avoiding my gaze.

"What's your name?"

"Pe-Peter," he replied.

"Well, Peter," I said, patting him on the cheek. He flinched. I grinned. "If you're right about her being in here, I'll let you live. If not, then you'll be another one of those bodies laying dead on the floor like the rest of your buddies at the entrance."

He gulped and nodded.

I grabbed for the handle and tried to pull it open. The door didn't budge.

"It's locked," I said in a calm voice.

The man's eyes widened. "I-I have a key." He fumbled with his pockets, slipping out a key. He dropped it to the floor and scrambled to pick it up, his hands shaking.

He handed it to me, and I smiled dryly. He had a key. What a coincidence.

I inserted it into the keyhole and turned it. There was a click, and I pushed the door open, my heart in my throat. She was in here. I would have her back in my arms.

I stepped into the dark room, holding my gun in front of me and shoving Peter in with me.

"Annabeth?" I called, frantically scanning the room. "Annabeth, where are you?"

There was a rustle of movement in the corner of the room, barely anything, but I saw it.

"Hey," I snapped at the figure, or rather, figures huddled in the corner. "I see you. Come out."

I expected Annabeth to realize it was me and come running to me, tears of relief running down her beautiful face, but instead, the figures moved hesitantly towards me.

One was bigger than the other, one a woman and the other a little girl. The woman held the little girl close to her side, gripping her small hand hard. Both their eyes were wide.

I narrowed my eyes at them and scanned the rest of the room. Anger boiled in my veins, threatening to explode. She wasn't here.

I turned to Peter, gritting my teeth. "She's not here," I said in a low voice. "You fucking lied to me."

Peter shook his head, mouth opening and closing, eyes wide with fear. "Sh-she should be in here-"

"Then where is she?" I growled, stalking towards him. "Because I don't see her anywhere. Do you?"

Peter swallowed hard and backed up into a wall, pressing himself tightly against him. "I-I swear she should be in here. She was, earlier."

" _Was?"_ I said sharply. "You mean you _knew_ she wasn't in here anymore? You lead me in here for no reason, wasting my time, when I could've been out there looking for her?"

"N-no," he stuttered, shaking his head. "I swear I didn't know-"

Anger washing over me in a wave, I raised my gun and pulled on the trigger, effectively shutting him up.

Breathing hard, I whirled around, glaring at the woman and little girl.

The little girl let out a soft cry and pressed herself into what I assumed was her mother's side.

"Do you know where she is?" I snapped, stalking towards them. "Annabeth Chase. Where is she?"

The woman's eyes widened, and that's when I noticed that they were a clear blue, and behind the fear in them, I saw warmth and affection. I stopped dead in my tracks. Those eyes...they appeared in my nightmares countless of times. They were ones I hadn't seen in a long time.

Recognition settled into her features as she stared at me. She let out a sob and covered her mouth with her hand. She reached out to me hesitantly.

"Perseus?" She whispered softly.

I felt something break inside me. I knew this woman.

"Mom?" I croaked, stepping towards her.

A whirl of emotions seemed to dance on her face, and she rushed forward, enveloping me in a hug. She pressed her face into my chest, her shoulders shaking as she cried softly.

"Oh, Percy," she sobbed, pulling back and grabbing my face with her hands. "It really is you. My baby boy's all grown up."

My mind was spinning. I reached up and grabbed her hands, warm and soft despite the coolness of the room. "Mom? What..why...I thought you were dead. What-what happened?"

She shook her head, wiping away her tears. She squeezed my hands with her own. "Never mind that. Annabeth-they took her. You need to get her. There's no time."

I froze, fear settling over my chest like spreading ice. "Who took her?"

"Frederick-"

"Who the hell is Frederick?" I demanded, my head pounding with anger.

My mother shook her head, starting to push me out of the room. "I'll explain later. Percy-go. Quickly. It might be too late."

I stopped, turning and grabbing her hands. "Mom-listen. I want you to go near the entrance of the warehouse. Hide somewhere. I'll send Jason to look for you. Stay hidden, you hear me?"

She nodded, pushing me out of the room. "Yes, yes. Now go, Percy. They might've already left with Annabeth. It might be too late."

* * *

I raced down the stairs, pushing through different doors. If they were really leaving, they should have some sort of vehicle room or garage.

I reached the end of the steps, a metal door with a window in the middle leading into a different room. I tried for the doorknob, and just my luck, it was locked.

I jammed it a couple more time, gritting my teeth in anger and frustration. I peered into the window, and my heart stopped.

There she was. Annabeth.

A burly guy was dragging her across the floor, holding her by her arms. She was facing me, but she was slumped, her eyes trained on the floor. I recognized Luke, walking by the side of another man with sandy blonde hair, speckled with gray, heading towards one of the cars parked in the room.

I shook the doorknob frantically, pounding on the window.

"Annabeth!" I shouted, pounding on the window with both my fists, hoping she would hear me. "Annabeth!"

As if by a miracle, she raised her head, her beautiful gray eyes locking with mine.

They widened, shining with tears.

"Percy!" I distantly heard her scream, muffled by the distance and door between us. "Percy!"

With renewed fervor, she began to kick and scream, wiggling in the man's grip. The man, surprised, momentarily let her go. Annabeth dropped to the floor and frantically stood up, running to the door.

Luke turned, eyes wide. He glanced at me, a look of surprise flashing across his face before darkening with anger. He took off, running to catch Annabeth as she got closer and closer to the door.

"Annabeth!" I shouted trying to jam the door open. I rammed my shoulder into it, ignoring the pain that settled over my body. I peered into the window to see her-just a few feet away- from reaching the door. Her face was streaked with blood, a few bruises in her jaw. I clenched my teeth in anger. Who did that to her?

"Percy!" She cried out, five feet away from reaching the door.

Luke was faster than I thought. In seconds, he had caught up to Annabeth. He lunged for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and knocking her to the floor. She went crashing, hitting her head on the floor hard. She went limp.

"ANNABETH!" I shouted, my voice angry even to my own ears. Luke stood up and brushed his hands off before bending down and picking her up, cradling her in his arms.

"Don't touch her!" I growled, banging on the window with such force, a small crack appeared in the glass. My heart was pounding, my blood roaring in my ears, adrenaline flowing through my body.

Luke grinned at me and gave me a wink, bending down to give an unconscious Annabeth a kiss on the lips.

" _NO!"_ I shouted, growling and snarling as I shook the handle hard, shaking the door.

Luke saluted me before turning, heading back in the direction of the man with sandy blonde hair and burly guy. They reached a car and went in. Luke settled into the backseat, still carrying Annabeth in his arms.

Fury made my vision turn red. He would not let her go. Not while she was helpless and unconsciousness.

The garage door opened, and they drove out, the car disappearing from sight.

I pounded on the door once more, clenching my fists tightly. I pressed my forehead to the cool glass, heart-wrenching pain hitting me like a tidal wave.

"Annabeth," I whispered, feeling tears roll down my cheeks. I hit the door with my fist, shaking my head. "I'm sorry."

I sank to the floor, feeling my legs give out beneath me. I felt as if someone had run me over with a truck, only to back up and run over me again. I felt as if someone was continuously hitting me with a hammer, aiming for my heart. It hurt. Badly.

I let out a shout of frustration and flung my gun at the nearest railing. It snapped and fell to the floor in pieces.

Annabeth. Why can't I save you? Why can't you be in my arms again? When will I ever find you again?

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I thought about not answering. Not right now. Not when I couldn't save the only thing- the only person I needed right now. My Annabeth.

But my body seemed to move on its own accord, pulling the phone out and answering without checking who was calling. I pressed the phone to my ear.

"What is it?" I snapped, my voice rough to my own ears.

"Percy," Reyna's voice filled my ears, hesitant and scared. She never spoke like this. I felt a cold chill run down my spine.

"Reyna? What's wrong?" I asked, gripping the phone tightly.

"It's Jason," she said shakily. "He's been hurt."

I was already hanging up the phone and heading up the entrance even before she finished her sentence.

* * *

 **Holy shit, that was a long chapter. I did it!**

 **Who else almost cried when Annabeth was trying to reach Percy? Talk about something so close yet so far.**

 **But damn. This chapter was intense. I loved it.**

 **You're welcome for the super early update. Sorry for the cliffy. Next chappie might be next Wednesday or Thursday. Also, I'll be PMming reviewers my reply instead of writing them in the next chapter. I'll only write my reply in the next chapter to guests. Get what I mean? Yes? Good.**

 **Almost over, guys. At least two more chapters, and then the epilogue. I'mma cry now.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: I have a poll up on my profile, so make sure to check that out please! It's to see which story I should start planning on writing next!**

 **You guys rock my world, and will always be close to my heart. ILY ALL! HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK AND HOLIDAY!**

 **~Kat**


	47. Chapter 46

**Hey my angels... Im so sad right now. I can't believe its coming to an end. BUT I don't wanna be a downer, so lets move on, shall we? You guys are packed in for a treat in this chapter. *Cue evil smirk worthy of Luke Castellan himself* Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chappie!**

 **REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT THE POLL ON MY PROFILE! :DD**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **I'M SORRY! You'll have it soon...it's hurting _me_ not being able to get them together...just yet. He was so close...yet so far. And oh my gods, that thing you said about Luke is so right! Thanks for telling me that. If you don't mind, I'mma use it for this chapter. Damn...I didn't even realize that about him. I'll give you credit :D And now that I think about it... I do feel kinda bad for him. key word: Kinda. He's still an asshole in this fic. Frederick should go Tartarus :DDD**

 _ **unclerick:**_ **There was a lot going on! I'm surprised I was able to piece it all together. *Pats back* Jason.. he'll be fine... haha. And I'm so glad you thought so! Percy's definitely gonna break now that he has his mom back...and a sister at that too! Annabeth was so close! yet so far, unfortunately )): Annabeth has grown into the strong, brave woman she is. I loved writing her evolution throughout this story. She's gonna beat the life out of Luke, thats for sure :D It was a whirlind, and I'm glad that you made it through ((:**

 _ **SelfieAddict:**_ **IMSORRYIHADTO. It's just in my nature. And awww dont say that! Then you're gonna make _me_ cry!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Aw, dont cry! Don't worry. I'm glad you depict this story that way, I've read so many stories like that. Don't worry, it does make sense ((: Hope you enjoy this story!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **It is sad...Im depressed now. And I'm sorry! You know how much I love cliffys. Thank you! Percy's at least gonna have some solid ground to stand on now that he knows Sally's alive. Unfortunately, he doesn't have his Annabeth back...yet. Jason...oh Jason. And right? Nico's a little cinnamon roll that can break your arm :D**

 _ **Sad:**_ ***sighs* I know, I know. I'm terribly sorry. Please forgive me?**

 _ **Guest:**_ **IM SORRY ABOUT THE CLIFFYYY. I HAD TO. Baha, I saw what you did ;D Aw thank you. Not sure about becoming a writer, but we'll see ((: Jason.. you'll see what happened to him... haha...**

 _ **Gwpf:**_ **IM SO SORRRY! I'm sobbing too, don't worry. It's in my nature to make people cry. I'll try to update soon. Trust me, my excitement is the thing that makes me update early.**

 _ **Lilliana:**_ **Hey! You caught up! Yay ((: I've been following your progress throughout this story. It was fun :D And I have read Sixth Period Study Hall. You're right, it is awesome. I love Leigh. As for the new fanfic, I'll add your vote in :D**

 ** _Guest:_ Depression is my motivation :DD LMAO JK, I hate being depressed. Guess I'm just super emotional, which is just as good. We all need our Percabeth )): Don't worry.**

 ** _Negan:_ Thank you! And I'll see what I can do :D**

 ** _Fangirl101:_ Im glad you do! And I'm so sorry. Don't worry, Percabeth will be together again sooner or later ))): **

**Disclaimer: I've been this over and over... NO I do NOT own PJO, Uncle Rick does :D**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I woke to a painful pounding in my head.

I opened my eyes, blinking and wincing at the harsh light that filled the room. I slowly sat up, grimacing at the pain that flared and rushed through my body. My face felt sore, and I gently brought up a hand and touched my cheek. When I pulled it away, my fingertips were coated in specks of blood.

My eyes widened as I looked around, slowly taking everything in.

I was in some sort of room, the floor and walls made of cold concrete, smudged with age. A single lamp hung from the ceiling in the center of the room.

Sally and Isabelle weren't anywhere to be seen.

My heart thumping, I desperately recalled the events from earlier. I'd been talking to Sally when my father, Luke and two other men came in. I'd fought with one man and Luke, and resulted in being dragged out of the room, leaving Sally and Isabelle behind. There had been shouts and the sound of swords clashing with one another, and bullets flying through the air. Percy. He'd come to rescue me. But the men and my father had took me down some stairs. I'd wrestled against the man holding me and ended up slipping out of his grip and rolling down the stairs. I'd tried to escape them, but they'd caught up, and one of the men had grabbed me by the arms and dragged me along the floor. I had felt so helpless, I went limp in his arms.

I hadn't paid attention to where they were taking me until I heard someone calling my name and pounding on something. I had looked up- and my eyes had met with gorgeous green ones, dark with fury and desperation. Strength seemed to surge through my body, and I had kicked and screamed again, only to be let go. I had ran, ran and ran faster than I ever had before, trying to get to him, to my Percy. As I ran, I stared into his eyes, those breathtaking sea green orbs, filled with such passion and predatory anger they made my knees go weak.

I was so close, so close to being with him, flying into his arms and breathing in his sea breeze, masculine scent that was so _Percy._ But then, in what seemed like seconds, I was being knocked down, and Percy had shouted my name, those three syllables yelled with so much fury and pain, I had let out a cry, tears escaping my eyes, right before I blacked out.

Now, my body began to shake, as if I was sobbing, but no tears came out. It was almost as if I had no more left. I was spent. I felt exhaustion wash over me, and I slumped to the floor, digging my nails into my palms, hard. I could barely feel the pain. I bit my lip, hard enough to split the skin. I felt the coppery taste of blood enter my mouth, and I exhaled, the mere breath harsh and ragged.

Percy. I was so close. So close to being back in your arms, safe and warm. So close to pressing my lips against your soft, salty ones, moving them with a fervor I've never felt before. I was so close to peppering your face with kisses, pressing my forehead against yours, holding your face in my hands, whispering over and over how much I'd missed you, how much pain I'd gone through being without you.

I let out a sob. Percy. I just want to be back in your arms again. Tears pricked at my eyes. There they were. But these tears were different- these were tears of anger, sorrow, desperation. I turned, pressing my forehead against the cold concrete, my body shaking with every sob. I let out an almost animalistic cry, pain flaring through me like pure fire. I shook my head, clawing at the floor.

"Percy," I croaked, my body shuddering. "Please," I whispered, my voice heartbroken even to my own ears. I never thought I would miss a person so much, the mere thought of them making my body feel as if it were being lit on fire. I ached all over, his stunning green eyes planted in my mind. I could practically hear his husky laugh, see his wicked smile, feel the strength and warmth of his arms wrapping around me, pulling me into his protective embrace. I could feel his soft lips pressed to my ear, whispering my name in that deep voice of his, the sound sending a tremor through my body. I could feel his bare body pressed against mine, feel the strength of his muscles, taut as they moved against me. I could feel his breath, hot as it fanned my skin, peppering kisses all over my body. I could hear him, saying my name over and over. I could see his eyes, boring into mine, dark, filled with desire and passion and care, the mere look telling me he would never hurt me.

All of this felt and looked so real, I actually sighed, and my body began to feel warm again. My sobs subsided, and I wrapped my arms around myself. My eyes fluttered shut, and there, I could see him. He was grinning that dangerous grin of his, his eyes swimming with different shades of green. He brought up a scarred and soft hand, stroking my cheek. I brought my own hand up, lightly touching my face, as if to grab his own hand with my own. But of course, it wasn't there. I was imagining this all. I was hallucinating.

A laugh escaped my lips, harsh and humorless to my own ears. I winced, pressing my face against the cold concrete. I couldn't keep doing this. I couldn't stay here. I had to get back to him. To the others. To safety.

But then again, no place was safe these days.

Suddenly, I heard a door open, feet thump against concrete, and a door close again. I didn't bother raising my head from the floor- I already knew who it was, anyway.

"Oh, pity," I heard a cruelly familiar voice say quietly. "She's already dead."

I heard the sound of footsteps approach me, and still, I did not lift my head.

A cold hand brushed my hair out of my face, fingertips skimming along my skin.

"Come on, Annie," the man whispered softly. I could practically feel his eyes running over my body, his eyes darkening. "We still need you for one more thing."

I should actually pretend I'm dead, or still unconscious. Maybe then this awful man will leave me alone, for once, in my life.

But then his hand gripped my waist, and I went rigid all over. My mistake.

I heard a chuckle, dark and cold. "Well wont you look at that, you're awake. Nice try."

I did not move from my place on the floor. I did not open my eyes. I did not breathe.

"Annabeth," he snarled quietly, breath fanning my neck, burning hot. "Get up. Or would you rather I pick you up myself? I wouldn't mind, actually." He laughed quietly, the hand that gripped my waist slipping under my shirt, touching my bare skin. I gritted my teeth.

"Or even better," he said softly, voice husky. "I'll fuck you until you decide to react. That, I really wouldn't mind doing."

My eyes snapped open and I scrambled to sit up, shoving his hand off of my waist. I stared at him, wide eyed, fear flowing through my veins.

"You wouldn't," I whispered.

Luke gave me a devilish grin, one that made me stiffen instantly. He leaned closer to me, and suddenly, I couldn't move.

"You know I would, Annabeth," he said, voice deadly quiet, blue eyes burning into mine.

"Luke," I whispered, "why are you doing this?"

He let out a harsh laugh, cold and bitter. I resisted the urge to flinch.

"Why am I doing this?" He repeated, staring at me with angry incredulity. "Do you know who my father is, Annabeth?"

I swallowed hard. "Hermes Stoll."

He laughed again, the sound like sharp knives. "Hermes Stoll _now._ Actually, it's Hermes Castellan, but my asshole of a father introduces himself as Stoll now- the last name of that new bitch he married."

I clenched my teeth, feeling my stomach churn. "What does your father have to do anything with the monster you've become?"

Luke's eyes narrowed, flashing angrily, before clearing them of any emotion. "My so-called father abandoned my mother and I when I was six. He left- just like that. No goodbye. No nothing. My mother would always tell me that he would return, that he would come back. I waited, four years, and he never returned. Through that time, my mother had been getting sicker and sicker. She'd already been ill when she had me, but she got worse. I found myself having to take care of her. I fed her. I even went to the store and smuggled some food from there to feed us both. I took care of the house. I made sure she took her pills. But all that wasn't enough. When I turned ten, my mother died. I was so heartbroken, you know that? I lived on my own for about three months- all alone, in that house, at age ten. Soon though, officials came. I found myself being taken away to New York, to live with my father, the man who abandoned my mother and I."

Luke clenched his jaw, anger evident in his eyes. "I hated him. For everything he was worth. I hated his new wife, Carol. I hated his new sons, Travis and Connor. I'm sure you've met them. He left us, only to find a new family. He got rich, being the owner of his own company. I resented him. A ten year old shouldn't have experienced that emotion, but I did. The way he acted towards me- like he had never abandoned me in the first place. Like my mother had never died. You think that's the right way to act, Annabeth?"

He stared at me, and then I realized he actually wanted an answer. I clenched my sweaty hands hard, nails biting into my skin. "I'm not sure," I whispered, not breaking eye contact with him.

Luke shook his head, his sandy blonde hair falling into his eyes. For a mere second, I could see the Luke I fell in love with, vulnerable, young. But then I remembered that this was the man that had raped me, and those thoughts were gone. "I continued to live with him and his new family. I tried to get rid of that bitterness and hatred, but I just couldn't. Every time I looked at one of them, the feeling came rushing back. I coped with it, shutting myself away from them. Travis and Connor would try to ease their ways into my life, and I shut them out in return. As the years went by, Hermes would try to get close to me, and sometimes I let him. But then the thought of my mother and I, alone in that house to fend for ourselves, came back, and that feeling of hatred returned.

"When I was fifteen, I'd been walking through the streets of Manhattan, alone, when a man had stopped me. Your father- Frederick. He'd introduced himself, and asked me for my name. I refused to give it to him and tried to leave, but then he brought up my father's name. Intrigued, I listened to him. He told me of ways I could find my revenge, towards my father, and to a group known as The Olympians.

"I had heard of that name on the news more than once, but never really paid it attention. Your father told me it was their fault my father abandoned my mother and I. Since he was in Connecticut when he lived with my mother and I, he was too far away from New York, too far away from The Olympian's headquarters. He was ordered to pack up and leave my mother and I without telling us anything. So he did. He left everything behind, his first family, all for some fucking gang."

Luke smiled dryly. "I was on board with his plans faster than he could ask me if I agreed to join him. If I thought I hated my father before, it grew worse then. Your father gave me his number to contact him. He made me swear not to tell anyone about his plans, so I didnt. I wanted to help him. I wanted to have my revenge against my father. So I kept meeting up with your father, recruiting more and more men. I helped him foolproof his plan.

"When I turned nineteen, Hermes had decided to pass down his company to me. He'd recently opened up a hospital, and I soon learned if was for the use of the new generation of Olympians. I'd agreed, and soon, I was the CEO of Hermes Express. I used that money to help with building warehouses for your father, and used it to buy weapons and other buildings for our use."

Luke paused to smile at me, the gesture sending a chill through my body. "And soon, you came in to play, Annabeth." He shook his head, laughing a little. "I still remembered the day Frederick came up to me and told me that he needed me to pose as a boyfriend for his daughter. Now, I knew he had a daughter, but I never knee how you looked like. When he showed me a picture and I realized that his daughter was _Annabeth Chase,_ one of America's top supermodels, I couldn't believe it. I thought you were absolutely gorgeous. Frederick ordered me to spy on you for a while, and I did. I followed you everywhere. I couldn't get enough of looking at you. So when the time came to introduce myself to you, I couldn't wait. You fascinated me, you were so smart and beautiful, I never thought I'd actually start to develop feelings towards you. But I did. I couldn't get you out of my head."

My breath caught in my throat, making it hard to breathe. _He doesn't mean it, he doesn't mean it, he's messing with your head._

But was he really?

"I found myself looking eager to spending time with you. You were the highlight of my day. Everything about you entranced me, and after the first time we slept together, I craved your touch. I found it incredible how you could do that to me. One touch from you made me addicted to it. I couldn't get enough of you. So when my father inexplicably got rid of my employment of Hermes Express, I was angry. I took it out on you, and I wasn't even realizing it. Yet you stayed with me anyway. It was after I raped you and you left that I realized what I'd done," Luke's gaze turned remorseful, but there was something else in his eyes, something that I didn't like. I bit the inside of my cheek. "I had never felt so angry after you left. I thought of going after you, but your father wouldn't let me. He said this was part of the plan. To break your heart. It worked."

Luke's eyes flickered up to mine, and I swallowed hard. "Now that I have you back with me," he said quietly, "I want you to be mine once again."

My mind was whirling. I couldn't trust this man. No. Not after everything he'd done. The trust I had in him has disappeared.

But what if he was telling the truth? What if he really did mean all those things? Did I still love him, after everything? Did I still have affection towards him? Could I allow myself to be with him again?

Suddenly, the image of Percy flashed in my mind. His eyes were dark, that fire setting them ablaze, almost like green fire. His lips were curled in that smile that was both unpredictable but filled with adoration. He had tried to tell me the truth. He hadn't made the move on Rachel. He had meant good. He would never hurt me. He'd try to protect me.

I looked at Luke, keeping my gaze firm on his. "I'm sorry Luke," I said softly, setting my jaw. "But I can't do that. Not anymore. You're too late."

Luke's jaw tightened, his eyes blazing. I kept my stare leveled with his. I would not show him any sign of submission. I was not afraid of him.

Suddenly, I was being slammed to the floor, Luke's blue eyes burning into mine.

"It's Jackson, isn't it?" He growled, hands squeezing my shoulders.

"Percy has nothing to do with this," I snapped, glaring defiantly at him. "Don't you dare bring him into this, Luke. This is between you and I."

Luke laughed, the sound hoarse and sharp as needle. "Jackson has always been a part of this, Annabeth. Don't you forget that."

I stared at him, looking deep into those blue eyes, icy cold. "You're scared of him, aren't you?" I said quietly, not breaking eye contact.

Luke's hands tightened around my shoulders, pushing me hard into the concrete. I winced.

He brought his face close to mine, breath fanning my face. "Why would I be scared of such a pathetic man?" He snarled, lips moving against my cheek. "He already knows you belong to me. And that's how it will be. I'm not letting you go. You're _mine."_

I brought my hands up and curled them around his wrists, digging my nails into his skin. "That was a long time ago, Luke," I said in a sharp whisper. "And I belong to no one. I'm not an object you can claim and throw around anymore. I've learned from my mistakes."

Luke's eyes flashed, the look in them making me freeze in place. "I think you know better than that," he said, and he brought his mouth down on mine, hard.

For a mere moment, I felt like I was falling. When Luke had kissed me before, when we were together, I felt as if I were soaring through the air, going higher and higher until I seemed to touch the clouds.

But now, I felt as if that spell had been broken, and I was tumbling from the sky, falling, falling, into a dark abyss, into the unknown. It felt _wrong_ having his mouth on mine, hard and cold as a razor. Now, the only sense I had was that only Percy could kiss me, make me feel free. Luke made me feel as if I was trapped, confined, for his use only.

Anger washed over me, and I bit down hard on his lip.

Luke yelled and let me go, bringing a hand up to his mouth. Blood was trickling down his chin, and an odd feeling of satisfaction washed over me. I drove my knee up to his stomach, effectively kicking him off. He fell to the floor, and I took that moment to scramble up to my feet.

 _The door,_ I thought frantically. It should be open.

I ran to it, and almost tripped on my own feet. I was halfway there when I felt him grab the back of my collar. He yanked me towards him, and flung me, sending me flying like a baseball and crashing to the wall. I gasped, the wind knocked out of me.

Luke stalked towards me, his eyes dark and predatory, like a shark's. The look should have frightened me, but all I felt was a surge of defiance rise up in me. The world seemed to slow around me as he reached down and hauled me to my feet, pressing me against the wall hard.

His teeth were gritted, blood smudged around his chin. He chuckled, bringing his face close to mine. "You're not escaping, Annabeth," he whispered, breath hot against my ear. He pressed his lips against my cheek, and I cringed. "You're staying with me."

I could feel his chest rise and fall against my own, breathing hard. I glared fiercely at him, my blood roaring in my head and trickling down my face.

"Percy won't let that happen," I snapped. "He'll fucking kill you."

Luke sneered, the expression making my heart start to speed up. "I wanna see him try. You already fucked us up, Annabeth. I bet you literally fucked him up-"

I couldn't stop it from happening, but I winced. Luke's eyes widened, darkening so much they were no longer a calm sky blue. They were the color of midnight, dangerous and angry.

"You did fuck him," he snarled, a look of pure rage and jealousy flashing in his eyes.

"That isn't the point," I spat sharply. "If Percy doesn't kill you, God help me, _I will."_

Luke growled, a sound low in his throat, and I took that momentum to raise my legs and kick him hard. Surprised, he let me go, and I spun around and kicked him in the stomach, hard.

As he doubled over, I ran, faster than before, to the door. I grabbed the handle and swung it open, and thank God- it was open.

I ran outside and opened the first door I saw. I ran inside only to find stairs upon stairs leading down. I didn't think twice before sprinting down them, praying that he wouldn't catch up to me.

I heard the door open and close distantly, and the sound of harsh breathing before footsteps pounded on the stairs. I picked up the pace, my heart thumping wildly in my chest. My head was swimming, and my breath was coming out in ragged staccatos.

Just as I reached the end of the first set of stairs, I felt someone slam into me, and I went tumbling down the stairs, my head thumping against each step.

I landed as a heap on the floor, white spots dancing before my eyes. I raised my head, the mere gesture causing me to bite my lip to keep from screaming in pain.

But then I saw Luke coming down the stairs, his arms flexing at his sides, his expression terrifying. Only then did a scream tear its way from my throat.

He lunged at me, and I forced my body to roll out of the way. I tried to crawl away, but I felt his hand clamp over my ankle and drag me back to him. I kicked and screamed, punching wildly.

Luke caught my hand in one of his own and let out a growl, his hand cracking across my face.

I winced as my face felt as if it were being doused in gasoline, only to be lit up in flames.

Luke caught my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look at him. His grin was hellish, the gesture causing his already split lip to open, blood trickling down his chin.

"Nice try, Annie," he whispered, leaning close to my face. "Never knew you were quite the fighter."

My body was tingling with anger. I guess this was how Percy felt every hour of every day. In a way, it was oddly refreshing.

My hand seemed to move on it's own accord as it flew up and slapped across his face. My hand stung from the impact, and as he growled, I rolled out from under him, trying to rise to my feet.

I felt him lunge at me again, gripping me by the waist and shoving me to the floor hard.

"Not so fast," Luke snarled quietly, lips pressed to my cheek so I could feel them moving against my skin. He pulled back to study my face, and mock-frowned. "What's wrong, Annababe? You look angry."

I gritted my teeth. "I broke... my fingernail...smacking your... worthless... face," I gasped. "See?" I raised one finger- just one.

Luke smirked. "Pity. But I think it looks just fine. After all," he leaned down and trailing his nose along my neck, breathing in. "I'm not done with you yet."

His hand trailed up and under my shirt, while his other one captured both my wrists and held them above my head. I squirmed and bucked under him, a growl escaping my lips. I brought my knee up, but he shifted, trapping my legs together so they couldn't move. He grinned down at me, devilish and predatory.

"None of that now," he whispered, nipping at my neck. His hand wandered down to the button on my jeans, and in seconds, he undid it. He shoved his fingers under my jeans, and a scream tore its way from my throat.

Luke shushed me, bringing his lips onto my jaw, his tongue trailing up my face, licking away my blood.

I flinched and bit down on my split lip hard, feeling more blood flow down my chin. Luke moved as his tongue darted out to lick that up as well, and I tried to move my face, but it was too late. The hand that was inside my jeans moved and started to tug them down, and I kicked wildly, trying to free my legs.

His hand skimmed my thighs, running up my body and under my stomach. He groped at my chest, and I let out a guttural cry, tears pricking at my eyes.

Once again, this awful man had managed to trap me once again, twisting and bending all physical power and making my body surrender to him. But no. I couldn't let that happen.

 _How will you escape?_ A voice in my head asked, sneering down at me. _You really think you can? You couldn't the first time, why should this time be any different._

I gritted my teeth. Because last time I was weak, powerless, a different Annabeth Chase. Now I was stronger. Now I could escape this man's touch. I was a whole new Annabeth Chase.

I brought my lips up and pressed them against Luke's.

He stilled his movements in surprise, and soon enough, he was kissing back, hungry and eager. The hand holding my wrists together freed itself, grabbing my face and pressing his lips harder against mine.

And once again, I leaned up, and bit down on his lip. Hard.

Luke shouted, snarling, and I used all my force to slip my foot out from under him, kicking him in the stomach and sending him sprawling to the floor.

Breathing hard, I stood up, frantically pulling on my jeans and running up the stairs. My head was pounding, blood running down my face and dripping onto my shirt. I cringed. Some of that blood was Luke's.

I reached the door that I had run out of in the first place and pulled it open-

Only to smack into a hard chest.

I fell to the floor as someone snaked their hands up and under my arms, pulling me to my feet with a harsh tug.

Then I found myself staring into my father's angry blue eyes.

His lips curved into a cold smile, and I resisted a shudder. He leaned his head next to mine and whispered in my ear.

"It's time to talk to Percy."

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I waited in the living room, my blood pumping through my body, loud in my ears.

I'd found my Mother and the little girl hiding behind a pile of boxes, and I'd ushered them out, leading them to the entrance.

The group of men had dispersed, leaving only a crowd of Olympian members, dead men lying on the floor.

Jason had been among them.

Only thankfully, he wasn't dead.

Frank, Travis and Connor had left to retrieve the van, running as fast as they could. It would take a while for him to get there, as Jason lied on the floor, his breathing getting labored by the minute.

Someone had ran him through with a sword, right below his chest.

I felt as if I couldn't breathe, seeing him lying there on the floor, helpless, as blood pooled around him like a rush of red water.

I don't know how long we waited for the guys to come back for the van. It seemed like eternity. My mother had held me as we waited, her familiar scent of flowers and cookies making my anger and panic ease itself.

My mother.

I still couldn't believe she was alive. As we waited, she told me the whole story, about how she'd gotten kidnapped and locked in that cellar. About how she'd managed to raise Isabelle, all on her own, down there.

Isabelle.

My little sister.

When my mother had told me that, I felt as if my heart had stopped. I'd looked down at the little girl, as if she were a mythical creature I'd only heard of and seen in books. Her sea green eyes, the same color as mine, had stared up at me, wide and curious. Wordlessly, I'd dropped down to my knees and pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her thin, small frame. She'd hugged me back, not asking any questions.

My throat constricted. I couldn't believe it. I had a little sister, one that managed to live through it all. One I never even knew existed.

And that was all to blame of Frederick Chase, Annabeth's father. The same one who'd plotted against us, who ordered Annabeth to be taken away from me.

I clenched my fists. I'm going to kill that man. _I'm going to kill him._

Jason had lost a lot of blood while we waited for Frank and the Stolls to return. I'd knelt there next to him, grabbing his hand in my own. Jason had looked at me, and gave me a weak grin.

"Still killed the guy, though," he's said, his voice hoarse and quiet. "Sent a bullet straight through his head. I won."

"Shut up, you idiot," Thalia had scolded through teary eyes. "Stop talking."

Now, Jason was in his room, getting mended by Will. Thank God he'd stayed the night.

I inhaled and stood up, heading towards the kitchen on shaky legs. My mom and Isabelle were in there, being cooked food by Leo, who had insisted over and over.

"It would be an honor to cook for the Percy Jackson's mom and hermanita," he had said, placing a hand on his heart.

I entered the kitchen, the familiar smell of tacos and hamburgers lingering in the air. Leo cooked them a whole meal.

My mother and Isabelle were seated at the kitchen island, eating at their heart's content. Leo was putting away all the ingredients. He looked up as I entered and nodded in greeting, his eyes flashing with pain. I'd told him about Annabeth.

Isabelle looked up, her eyes bright when they spotted me. Simply looking at her made my heart melt, a fierce protectiveness washing over me.

"Hi, Percy," she greeted, swallowing down her food. "Do you want to eat some..." she frowned, looking at our mom. "What's this called again?"

My mother laughed, the sound a pang to my chest. I'd missed her light and airy laugh.

"A hamburger," she replied, smiling.

Isabelle nodded, grinning at me adorably. "Do you want to eat a hamburger?"

I forced a smile, but it wasn't so hard to do when she was grinning at me like that.

"I'm fine," I answered, leaning on the island. "You should enjoy it though. Do you like it?"

She nodded vigorously. "Leo cooks amazing."

Leo looked over and grinned cheekily. "I like her."

I resisted an eye roll and faced my mom. Whenever I looked at her, I had to blink a couple of times, wondering if this was all a dream, if she was actually standing right there in front of me.

"How is it?" I asked her, my voice tighter than I wanted it to be.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled, the corner of her eyes crinkling, just like they always did. "It's delicious. Thank you, Leo."

He saluted her, grinning from ear to ear. "No problem, señora." Leo faced me, his expression suddenly grim. "I'm going to go check to see if we can see Jason now. I'll see you later, Perce."

I nodded, feeling a stab to the chest. "Yeah, okay. And thanks, Leo."

He walked over to me and clapped a hand on my shoulder, brown eyes devoid of their usual humor. "Anything for you, man."

I gave him a strained smile, and with that, he left.

"Is he your friend?" Isabelle asked, staring at me with curious green eyes.

"Yeah, I replied, my voice soft. "He's one of my best friends."

Isabelle's eyes turned sad, the expression sending a stab to my chest. "Annabeth is my best friend." She lifted her eyes to meet mine, shining with unshed tears. "Do you know Annabeth?"

"I..." my throat constricted, and I swallows hard. "Yeah, I do."

A single tear slid down her cheek. "Are you going to save her?"

My heart felt as if someone had stabbed it with needles. "If it's the last thing I do."

"Was she your best friend too?" Isabelle asked, voice shaky and small.

I gave her a sad smile. "My very best friend."

My mother reached out and set her hand on mine, giving it a soft squeeze. Suddenly, under her gaze, I felt like I was ten years old again, crying to my mother about something that upset me. Just by the look in her eyes let me know Annabeth had told her everything. The look in her eyes made me want to break down crying, but I knew I couldn't do that- not with Isabelle staring at me as if I were an angel descended from heaven, like I was the one who could make everything better.

I was the exact opposite.

Suddenly, the door opened, and I looked up to see Reyna, her face paler than usual.

"The video conference," she whispered, voice hoarse. "It came in."

* * *

I slammed the door open, my heart racing.

Nico, Thalia and Leo were in the room, their expressions a mix of horror, anxiety, and and exhaustion.

It worried me.

They wordlessly faced the screen in the middle of all the others, bigger than the rest. I stepped into the center, getting a clear view of what was displayed.

My heart stopped.

It was Annabeth, tied up in a chair and gagged, cuts in various places of her face. Her face was trickling with drops of blood, bruises in her jaw and neck. Her lip was split, and the trace of fingers lined her chin.

Yet through it all, she was still as gorgeous as a goddess herself.

My blood was roaring in my ears, my arms flexing at my side's.

"Annabeth," I whispered, my voice harsh and quiet.

Luke stops on one side of her, his lip cut and cheek red with the imprint of a hand. A ferocious feeling of satisfaction washed through me. Only Annabeth could've done that.

And on her other side, was a man with sandy blonde hair, speckled with gray strands, and sky blue eyes. Annabeth's father.

His lips curled into a cold smile as he stared back at me, his gaze unwavering.

"Perseus," he said, voice calm. "I've been waiting for a while to talk to you."

A growl involuntarily rose in my throat. "What did you do to her?" I asked, my voice terrifyingly quiet.

Frederick glanced at his daughter, almost as if he forgot she was sitting there in the first place.

"Oh," Luke said, a smile in between something like a snarl and and a grin as he stared down at Annabeth, his eyes dark with a look that made me want to jump through the screen and snap his neck in half.

"Annabeth here decided to play a nice game of tag," he said, stroking her hair. "It was actually quite fun, wasn't it, Annabeth?"

Her gray eyes flashed with fury, her teeth clenching hard around the gag. She jerked her head away from his touch, and I fought back a grin. That's my girl.

"Nevertheless," Frederick continued, eyes boring into mine. "I'm sure Jordan informed you that I would be contacting you soon."

"What the hell do you want?" I growled, my fists clenching at my sides. "Haven't you done enough?"

Frederick chuckled without humor, his eyes flashing. "Quite the opposite actually. We're nearing the end of this game, Perseus. I just need one more thing from you, and you can have Annabeth back."

"And what is that?" I snapped, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. "What more could you possibly want from me, after you've taken everything you could away from me?"

Frederick smiled at me, the gesture making the hairs on my neck rise.

"The contract of Olympus Enterprises," he said simply. "The one signing the company over to them."

Behind me, I heard Reyna draw in a sharp breath.

I clenched my jaw hard, my voice coming out sharp and clear. "What?"

"Bring the contract," he said slowly, as if I were a five year old. "And you can have Annabeth back, and this will all be over. "

Annabeth made a strangled noise at the back if her throat, her eyes piercing into mine. She shook her head violently, her eyes shining. She tried to speak, whatever she was going to say only to be muffled by the gag. But I got the message loud and clear:

Don't do it.

But Annabeth should know by now that there's no way in hell I'm leaving her with these two bastards. Especially with Luke.

But even if I did, I knew Annabeth wouldn't let him touch her anymore. She wouldn't let any of them make her look and feel weak. Annabeth is strong. I've known that since the moment I met her, even if she didn't realize it then. But she does know. I see it in her eyes.

Those beautiful, breathtaking eyes. The ones I want to gaze into all day, face to face. I know I would never get tired of it. I would never tire trying to protect her. I will never tire from trying to get her back into my arms again.

"Fine," I snapped, glaring into Frederick's eyes. "When?"

"Sometime tomorrow, " he replied, a satisfied smile on his lips. "In the warehouse you so graciously killed my men in. And keep in mind that if you try to trick me with a stack of fake papers, I will make sure that you do not see Annabeth ever again. Understood?"

I gritted my teeth and nodded.

Frederick and Luke glanced at each other and smiled, a hungry smile that made me clench my jaw even tighter than it already was.

Annabeth gazed into my eyes, pleading and desperate. She said something, and even with the gag in her mouth, I knew she had spoken my name. I could almost hear it in my head, her pained and fragile voice clear in my ears.

I stared into her eyes, trying to send her one message, one simple message that I hoped she would understand.

 _I will get you back._

Her eyes widened, tears swelling in her gray orbs. She shook her head softly, her shoulders trembling. She got the message.

"Perseus," Frederick said, forcing me to tear my eyes away from Annabeth. His grin was devilish. "I'll be waiting. "

And then the screen went black.

* * *

I opened the door to Jason's room, quietly going in and closing the door behind me.

He was laying on the bed, face pale and sweaty. Piper was seated next to him, grabbing his hand with her own and stroking his face with the other. She singing softly to him, tears streaming down her face.

Will looked up from where he was standing off to the side, his expression grim. He walked over to me, quietly pushing me outside.

He shut the door behind him and faced me.

I swallowed hard. "How is he?"

Will rubbed his forehead, frowning. "He'll live, if that's what you want to hear. But he lost a lot of blood. That sword went right through him. He's gonna have to stay in bed for about a week. Maybe more. But for the most part, he'll heal just fine. Just make sure he gets his medication. I already explained everything to Piper, so I assume she'll manage."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. "Thanks, Will."

He nodded at me, placing a hand on my shoulder. His blue eyes weren't shining as they normally did. "No problem at all, Perce. If I can help in any way, all you need to do is call."

I patted him on the arm. "Thanks. Are you going to stay a while more? If you were planning on it, feel free to take one of the spare rooms. Or, you know, share Nico's room. Just warning you though, he's pretty territorial."

Will's ears turned bright red, and he cleared his throat, slipping his hand off my shoulder. "Um, that'd be great, but I have to get back to the hospital. A lot of Olympians were wounded. They need me there."

I nodded, feeling guilt wash over me. My members were getting hurt, all because of me. "Yeah, I understand. I'll see you later, man."

Will gave a nod, looking at me with trusting, sad eyes. "Good luck."

I set my jaw as he turned and started to walk down the hall.

"And Will?" I called. He turned, eyebrows knitted together.

"Yeah?"

I looked him in the eye. "Try to make my Olympians leave that hospital alive."

* * *

I walked into my room, shutting the door behind me. I sighed, rubbing my face with both hands, wincing as I pulled on various cuts aligning my face.

Gritting my teeth, I went into the bathroom to take a shower.

As the water ran down my body, I couldn't help but think of how quickly the day had flown by. One second we were arriving at the warehouse, and the next it was already late in the night.

I craned my neck, letting the water flow down my face, taking the smudges of blood along with it. The water stung the cuts, especially the one on my arm that I'd gotten from that man throwing a knife at me. Once I'd gotten home, I had dabbed it with alcohol and wrapped it up, and now, without the bandage to wrap it up, it brought a stinging sensation to my arm. I flexed my arm, the feeling refreshing.

I could practically imagine Annabeth scolding me for it, for leaving it out in the open like this and not treating it professionally. I inhaled, almost able to smell that sweet lemony scent of hers, the one that intoxicated me as if it were a drug itself.

I clenched my fists hard. I was feet away from grabbing her, from carrying away from those hellish men and killing them with my bare hands.

But was I any better?

I killed people and tore up cities for a living, and all those things brought me a sort of satisfaction and pleasure I could never feel from anything else. But now, with Annabeth gone, I found myself thinking about all those people I've hurt from doing those actions for my own enjoyment. Those feelings were never there when I was with Rachel, before I'd gotten my heart broken. In fact, I felt hesitant about taking on this role, so dangerous and cruel.

But after Rachel had left me, I'd gotten angry. Terrorizing cities and people began to make me feel better. Now I knew why. I was taking my pain out on them, making them suffer just like I was.

Looking at Annabeth, I marveled how she had gotten her heart broken not only once, but twice, and was still able to live her life in peace and tentative happiness. She never killed people to make her feel better. Even when she got into things with the gang, I could see the remorse in her eyes; she never wanted to do it, but she followed along to keep herself safe, as well as the others around her.

And now, I guess the correct term for me would be a sadist. But now, that was all changing.

All because of Annabeth Chase.

And I would do anything, sadist or not, to get her back.

I'd kill a whole crowd of people if I had to.

I'd burn down any city if I had to.

I'd give up anything if I had to.

All for her.

* * *

When I exited the bathroom, I was met with the sight of a little girl sitting on my bed, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Jesus fucki-" I started, catching myself and jumping back. I placed a hand over my heart, exhaling. "Jesus, Isabelle, you scared me."

She let out a small giggle, the sound warming my heart.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, bringing the towel thrown across my shoulders up to my hair to dry it.

"Mommy was taking a bath," she answered, crossing her legs. "She told me to go to your room. I asked... um, what's the name of the girl with the spiky hair?"

"Thalia," I replied, my lips twitching as I sat down on the bed next to her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I asked Thalia where your room was, and she took me here. I've been sitting here on your bed the _whole_ time."

"Really?" I asked tentatively, shifting on the bed. "What have you been doing?"

"Nothing," she replied with a small shrug of her small shoulders. "But I looked inside those..." she frowned, looking at my nightstand.

"Nightstands?" I suggested, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Yep. I looked inside those nightstands and found these sharp thingamajigs in there," she said, looking at me, her own green eyes an exact replica of mine. "What are they?"

"Um..." I started. I really need to take those weapons out of there. "They're my toys. But they are very dangerous toys that only adults like me can play with."

Her lips curled into a teasing smile. "Aren't you a little too old for toys?"

I scoffed. "Of course not. Anyone at any age can play with toys. But these toys in particular," I poked her in the stomach, emitting a laugh from her. "You cannot touch. Understood?"

She grinned at me, nodding her head. "Okay."

"Now," I said, lifting her up and setting her in my lap. It felt strange carrying such a small, fragile thing in my arms, and it made me nervous. But the laugh that bubbled from her lips made up for it. "It's time to go to sleep. Let's go find mom, yeah?"

She frowned up at me, her expression hesitant. "Can...can I sleep with you tonight?"

My breath caught in my throat. My little sister wanted to sleep with me tonight. I felt a warmth spread through me, and I gave her a soft smile.

"Sure," I whispered. She grinned, throwing her thin arms around me. I brought my arms around her, breathing in her scent. I smiled. She shared the same scent as my mother- she smelled of freshly baked cookies and soap.

"Here," I said, setting her down on the bed. "Let me get you something to sleep in."

I walked into my closet and pulled out a blue t-shirt. I handed it to her, watching as a smile lit her face as her eyes sparkled.

"It's blue!" She said excitedly.

I chuckled. "You like the color blue?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "It's my favorite color. Blue like Mommy's eyes."

I smiled softly, feeling something in my chest melt. "Blue's my favorite color too."

"Really?" She asked, the grin not wiping off her face. "I didn't know that."

"Well," I said, picking her up and off the bed and setting her on the floor. I knelt in front of her, stroking her face with one of my fingers. "Now you do. Now go into the bathroom and put this shirt on. I'll be waiting right here."

"Okay," she said, turning and heading off into the bathroom. As she walked towards it, she suddenly stopped, turning around and flinging herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

Startled, I stiffened for a second, before easing into the embrace, hugging her back.

"I'm glad you're my big brother," she whispered, nuzzling her face into my neck.

I swallowed hard, a lump suddenly forming in my throat. "Me too, Iz. Me too."

* * *

Isabelle was curled up to my side, her little body soft and delicate.

I held her close, pressing my head against hers.

"You know what I realized, Percy?" She suddenly said, surprising me. I thought she was asleep.

"What's that?" I asked quietly, stroking her chocolate brown hair.

"We have a lot in common."

"Yeah?" I asked, pausing my administrations.

I felt her little head nod against me. "We have the same colored eyes, we like the color blue, and we both love Mommy."

I felt that same lump rise in my throat, and I found a surge of protectiveness washing over me, overwhelming all my other senses. "You're right," I said softly. "We do have a lot in common."

Isabelle didn't respond. She had fallen asleep, her little puffs of breath shallow and even.

I soon found myself falling asleep as well, holding her in a protective embrace.

And sometime in the middle of the night, I heard someone creep into the room and lean over and kiss Isabelle and I on the forehead.

"I love you both," my mother whispered in the darkness.

* * *

 **Awwww... I loved that.**

 **Two more chapters and then the epilogue, you guys. This is surreal. I love you all so fucking much.**

 **As for those with accounts on this site, make sure to check your PM boxes for the replies to your reviews from the last chapter! Sorry for doing it that way, but in a way it helped me write this chapter faster. It'll go back the normal way next chappie ((:**

 **I was literally crying writing that scene of Annabeth envisioning Percy. So sad.**

 **ALSO THE SCENES WITH ANNABETH AND LUKE FIGHTING WERE MOSTLY INSPIRED BY THE AMAZING AND FANTASTIC CASSANDRA CLARE'S SERIES THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS. THE CITY OF LOST SOULS TO BE PRECISE. CLARY'S A FUCKING QUEEN GODS I LOVE HER. FUCK YOU SEBASTIAN. SO YEAH, SOME OF THE WORDS ARE CASSANDRA'S, CAUSE SHE'S SO AMAZING I COULDN'T PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY.**

 **FUCK YOU SEBASTIAN JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER MORGENSTERN. Did I say that already? I don't think I did ;-;**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you guys check out the poll on my profile to vote on which story I should write next! I need to start planning stuff since this is almost over... SO PLEASE CHECK THAT OUT. And if you cant vote, then simply write which one you think I should do on a review ((:**

 **#LukeCastellanIsAnAsshole**

 **#IsabelleAndPercyAreSoCute**

 **#Annabeth'sABaddassQueen**

 **LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!**

 **Bye my angels xxx**

 **~Kat :3**


	48. Chapter 47

**Hey my lovelies! How you all doing? Im doing just great... Considering I'm returning to school. Gods help me. Anyway, imma just move right into it, cause Im excited. Just saying, this is the longest chapter I've EVER written. I'm proud of myself. Also, the next chapter is going to be relatively short, so I hope this early update and long-ass chappie makes up for it :DD I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH!**

 **iMPORTANT NOTE:** ** _MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE POLL ON MY PROFILE iF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY! I'M CLOSING IT NEXT WEEK, SO GTE YOUR VOTES IN! I'LL NARROW IT DOWN TO THREE CHOICES AND LET Y'ALL PICK WHICH STORY I SHOULD WRITE NEXT :DD TYSM! xxxx_**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **This is bound to end sooner or later, Kass. And unfortunately, its sooner. Easy on the word-limit there. I might be amazing *cue hair flip* but im not Wonder Woman. Lmao, but seriously. I thought she was insane too tbh. It was fun tho. Like damn, talk about pain. Luke is the jackass of all jackasses. Like fr. He gotsa go. Don't worry, you'll get the interaction your want from them in this chapter. It'll be so sweet. Hope going back to school wasn't so bad for you. Vacation just doesn't last long enough, you know? One minute you're leaving that hell-hole and the next you're stepping right through those doors again. Im proud of you Kass, you held through. Percys gonna have some trouble with that. Obviously his dad and uncles wont let him, but he's gonna be flipping some fucking tables if they dont. Damn, Kass. So aggressive. Lmfao, cant you give Luke some sympathy? He's just a smol bean that wants Annabeth to love him again. HA I** **made myself laugh. Hope you like this chapter bbg, not sure if the length meets your high-ass expectations, but ill deal ;D LOVE YOU xxx**

 _ **Leighismyname:**_ **That's exactly why I didn't make her talk ((; Torture you all even further, you know? Annabeth's a fucking bitch-ass queen. I loved writing that scene, even if it hurt. AND HONESTLY THO. Like goddamn, that girl has our fandom kneeling at her feet. Im sad too, but excited to see which story I will continue my writing journey on next :D Thank you xxx**

 ** _Cinder Luna:_ Sometimes I think little kids could be pain in the asses, but for the most part, they're adorable. I wrote Isabelle as the version I wish my seven year old sister would be. But guess what? Its probably never gonna happen, cause that girl is the most annoying thing on this earth. May sound cruel, but its the truth. And I liked how you put it about Annabeth finding her "hidden badassery," cut you're right. She's not taking shit from no one anymore. And there are two more chapters left )): Its ending so soon. I still need some more votes ton see which story ill write next, but ill ket you guys know!**

 ** _Percabeth824:_ No problem! You are all my angels ((: even though you want to kill me. Thank you! I cant believe it either! Its surreal. I love you too! xxx**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **Argh I love them so much! They are so amazing even if they make me want to roll up into a ball and sob and eat a mango. Valentine and Sebastian wont get mangoes. Luke and Frederick are fine ((: but srsly, Valentine and his son gotta go. And thank you for your vote! I'll see which one it comes down to ((: I love the werewolf one too :3 And oooh, that sounds good! I hate it when authors write AMAZING stories but never finish them )):**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I DO TO! GODDAMN THEY'RE AMAZING! EVEN THOUGH THEY MAKE ME WANNA STAB MYSELF IN THE EYE WITH A BUTTER KNIFE *laughs* Fuck you Peter. Whoops, wrong fandom. BUT I JUST FINISHED READING THE CITY OF LOST SOULS AND I LITERALLY CRIED. MALEC...MY HEART. Anyway, before I start bawling again, I tried to make Isabelle like how I wished my actual seven year old sister would be, cut she's a pain I in the ass. Dont worry, ill let her off the hook. For your sake. And you're welcome :D**

 _ **Lilliana:**_ **Aw, thank you! And I haven't decided what story im doing yet. I still new a few more votes until I can decide. And my godly parent is Athena :3 I love her. That's cool :D And unfortunately, I did not include Calypso in this story.**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Im gonna miss replying to your wonderful reviews! I LOVE YOU TOO! This is so sad. I can't believe it. Annabeth is amazing. I had to remind you all how much of a badass she is. I'm glad you like Isabelle :3 I made her as adorable as she could be. AWW THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU! XOXOXOX**

 _ **Echo:**_ **I'm not sure about a sequel, unfortunately. I just don't feel like it will do this story justice, you know? But we'll see. Perhaps I will write some one-shots of it? I don't know yet. But I will definitely keep writing :D**

 _ **Guest:**_ **It is )): That's sweet, but I'm not sure about a sequel. We'll see. I like your idea tho :D And thank you so much xxx**

 _ **percabethlover:**_ **I'm glad you liked it :33 Baddass Annabeth is the fuel to my existence. Hopefully you don't pass out from all those feels. AWW, don't say that. I'm sure there are more talented authors than I on this site. But thank you. That was really kind of you to say. Not sure about a book though :D I can't believe it's ending either. I'll be crying as I write the last chapter. *Tears up* Thank you for your kind words. They fill me with happiness. Thank you so much xoxo And thank you for your opinion on which story I should write next. And damn, I hit you that hard? Wow XD I'm glad though :3**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **I will! And don't worry, I have problems too :DD It's part of being a fangirl xxx**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I'm glad you enjoyed it :D And thank you for your vote on which story I should write next! I appreciate it ((: So far it looks like the seven deadly sins are winning. Aw, thank you so much xxx**

 _ **Anon:**_ **I'm sad too! It's ending too soon! Lmao, they do make stupid decisions, but that's why I love them. Especially my fucking Jace. He makes me face-palm so much and laugh, I love him. And Isabelle too. She's a queen. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON MALEC HOLY CRAP I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEY ARE SO CUTE AND CUDDLY ARGH. Im sorry. Excuse me for that. I'm glad you think they're cute! I tried to make them all cuddly and stuff. Add some softness to hard-core Percy xxx**

 _ **Sad:**_ **I'm happy you do! Even if they won't admit it to one another yet. Aw, don't make me blush. Lmao, no problem. I get your excitement. I'm excited myself :D Thank you xxx**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Of course I am :DD They're awesome. And you know what, I actually had thought of that earlier, but just roll with it. Too late to go back and change it now. But thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't thought that through (:**

 _ **Gwpf:**_ **I'M SORRY I HADN'T REALIZED THAT. IT WAS AN UNINTENTIONAL PUN. Damn, I feel like an ass now XD Sorry about that. Glad you noticed that though. I hadn't even realized that as I was writing. Sorry :D**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Thank you! Aw, thanks again. Hope you enjoy this next chapter ((:**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Thanks! And of course! Go right ahead. I'd be delighted to read it, so if you could tell me when you've finished writing it, that'd be awesome :D Good luck on your writing escapades!**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **Sadly Anne, good things always come to an end. It's how fucked up this world is. Your wait is appreciated :D Annabeth's a queen. I'm glad you thought it was cute :DD I did too :3 And you're so right. It is pointless. You're fine ((: Talking with you through PM's is enough for me :D Awww, thank you. Bye love xxx**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **Lmao, of course like a sane person. You're not crazy :D There is something wrong with him. He needs help. Yep. He's a fucked up little bastard. Isabelle is so innocent and cute- I love writing about her. It is the best relationship ever. Wish that's how I'd be with my siblings, but that can never happen. It's good that you're emotional! Let it all out :DD Have a good rest of your week too! xxx**

 **Disclaimer: I am not a middle-aged man that trolls his readers, so no, I do not own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

My father dragged me through the warehouse, the thing that gagged me now blindfolding me, my arms still bound in front of me.

I heard him chuckle as he yanked me around a corner. "I'm not wrong when I say that Perseus would do anything to get you back, am I, Annabeth?"

I gritted my teeth. "You made a deal with him. He brings you the damn papers and you let me go. Don't get any fucking ideas and ignore what you agreed with him."

"I wouldn't dare," he quipped, his grip on my arm tightening.

My whole body ached from the jostle Luke had given me, and I could still feel his fingers gripping my chin and the stinging sensation from when he slapped me. Just thinking about it made anger wash over me. He would not touch me anymore. If Percy doesn't kill him first, I will gladly do so.

"So what?" I said, my voice sharp. "You'll get the papers and then what? You'll take over the company? Don't you think officials will be on your ass about that? If you're so smart, _father,_ then don't you know that there are important, _legal,_ ways of taking over a company? Proxy fights, for one example, tender offers, takeover bids- do you want me to continue? How are you so sure the owners of Olympus Enterprises won't go to _the government_ for fuck's sake about this-"

"And then what?" My father snarled in my ear, jerking my arm hard. I bit my tongue hard. "If officials come to me about it, then I will gladly tell them the truth. No matter if I end up in jail. As long as the Olympians are exiled and thrown into prison, along with those jackasses that first formed that shit-gang, I don't care. I assume they're smart enough to know that. Jackson gives me the papers, they agree not to tell anyone about this exchange-"

"That wasn't part of the fucking deal!" I spat, wrenching my arm back. "You agreed to let me go and _that's it-"  
_

"I'm sure Perseus would be willing to make some arrangements to this deal," my father snapped quietly, fingernails digging into my skin. "As long as you're back with him, he doesn't care."

"You're an asshole," I growled through clenched teeth. "I hope you know that, you shit-eating pig."

"Careful, Annabeth," my father said quietly, voice angry and breath hot against my ear. "I can always break the deal off with Perseus once he hands me the papers. I'm sure Luke would be delighted to have you to himself again."

"You're insane," I whispered harshly. "I'm right. You're not a man at all. You have no ounce of humanity left in you. I'm starting to wonder how my Mother ever put up with you, you sick twisted son of a bitch."

Frederick said nothing, but I felt a chill run down my spine. He was glaring at me, I could feel it. He harshly tugged me, making us continue our way through the warehouse. I smirked. I finally shut up this madman.

Finally, I heard him unlock a door and pull it open. "You wanted to see your harlot of a Mother?" Frederick snarled in my ear. "Fine."

Suddenly, he shoved me into whatever room he just unlocked, and I managed not to fall. Then I heard the door shut with a bang behind me.

"Annabeth?"

I heard a voice whisper. My heart thumped. "Mother?"

I heard the sound of feet patter against the floor and soon, I felt skilled hands untying my bonds and removing the blindfold that sealed my vision.

I blinked and found myself staring into familiar, sharp gray eyes. I breathed in relief, wordlessly stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her.

"Oh, Annabeth," she said quietly, arms encircling me. She ran her fingers through my knotted hair. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Mother," I said, pulling back. Her expression was full of exhaustion, dark circles under her eyes and her wrinkles more prominent than ever. She seemed to have aged ten years, stooped with creases of a frown on her forehead. She had various cuts on her face and temple, a bruise on her jaw, and a split lip. I was sure I didn't look any better. Worse, at that. But even through all that, my Mother's eyes shone with a fierce determination and intelligence that let me know that she was not broken yet. No. She seemed stronger than ever, still holding herself with that pride she was known for.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice a mere whisper.

She shook her head, concern etched on her features as she studied my face and brought up her hand to softly touch my jaw. Her eyes flashed. "Who did this to you?" She demanded, voice quiet and sharp.

"Luke," I replied softly.

She clenched her jaw. My Mother had only ever met Luke twice when I was with him. Both times, any glance she had given him was full of suspicion and skeptical unease. She had told me herself that there was something off about him, that she didn't approve of him. But me, of course, acted like she was just being overprotective. "Don't be silly," I'd told her. Now I hated myself for ever telling her that. The only silly one was me. For not seeing through his lies and charm. My Mother had always been great at reading people. Only then did I think she had the wrong idea.

If only I'd known she was fully correct.

"I never trusted that man," she said, bringing her hand down to fix my shirt, now torn and tattered. I almost laughed. It was my pajama shirt. I was going to go to sleep when I found Percy with Rachel, dressed in my gray pajama shirt and jeans.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry I never believed you Mother. I was clueless and stupid. I couldn't see through his facade. I should have considered your doubts about him."

"It's all right Annabeth," she said, grabbing my hands with her own. Her eyes bore into mine, bitter and resentful. "Love can put you into a coma that leaves you not knowing what the truth really is. And once you do find out, it takes a strong will to break out of it. That's what you did. I'm proud to call you my daughter."

I swallowed hard, feeling my chest burn. "Don't say that Mother," I said quietly. "I've gotten us into a mess that can kill so many people."

"No," she said, tone sharp. "That was your father. Frederick is the cause of all this. If anyone was being stupid, it was me. I should've left that man the second I had you."

"Why then?" I asked softly.

My Mother sighed, pulling on my hands as she began to kneel on the floor, gesturing me to sit down as well. Her maroon blouse was torn and missing several buttons, splattered with blood. Her black pencil skirt was tattered as well, legs cut and smudged with blood.

"Your father wasn't this bad before," she said, staring at me in the eye as she spoke. She had the tendency to keep eye contact with people when she spoke, saying it made whoever she was talking to more susceptible and submissive to her decisions. With her keen eyes and intimidating gaze, it worked, and talking business with her enough left me unfazed by it, but now, I found it comforting. If she was not meeting my gaze, all it would do is make me nervous and make me feel on edge. I guess good came from being so straightforward and precise.

"But that all changed when you were born, Annabeth," she said, voice steady and clear. "I had begun to progress with Olympus Architecture, with the help of Zeus and his brothers. Your father had always wanted to own a company and run one. He became power hungry, and I had started to realize that. That's when I announced that you would take over. He was furious and objected more times than I could count. The answer was always the same. No. So when Bobby and Matthew came along, I knew he was planning something. Your father wasn't the type to go and have a simple affair with someone. No, he always had a motive for his actions and decisions. I discovered it soon when I finally caught him looking through my files. I kept a close eye on him and always knew when he would slip out in the middle of the night somewhere. I tried to follow him once, but he seemed to have a way to detour whoever was following him."

Athena sighed. "The day he faked his death, before he left, we'd had an argument. I'm sure you overheard it. He said he knew I was a member of The Olympians. An important one, at that. He said he would not stop until that gang was torn to shreds and Olympus Enterprises was razed down. That's when he left. I was out of my mind with panic and fear and anger. I'd been so _stupid."_ She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "I put you in danger, all for not leaving that man sooner. When I got the report that he was dead, I knew, I _knew_ that he really wasn't. That's why I had been so uncertain about you becoming a model. You would be putting yourself out there in plain sight. I couldn't have that, but you were so stubborn. I could only hope that Frederick would leave you alone, because I knew that you were a big part of what he was after. Because you were what kept him from taking over the company. I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I should've told you all this sooner. You would've been more protected and safe."

"No," I said, shaking my head and swallowing down the bile in my throat. I felt tears burn in my eyes. "That man is insane. I don't think you could've done anything to prevent what he's planning to do, and what he's done already."

My Mother sat up and pulled me into her embrace, holding me tight. "Don't worry, my daughter. We're going to be let out of here one way or another. Does Perseus know what's going on?"

My throat constricted at the mention of his name. His image flashed in my mind. I nodded. "He does," I said softly. "And he's furious about it."

"Good," my Mother said, gripping my shoulders and pulling me back to lock her eyes with mine, glinting with defiance and audaciousness. "If that man can do anything, it's be angry. And when Perseus is angry, he will not stop. Not until he takes back what he's already vowed his protection to. And that thing, Annabeth, is you."

* * *

 **Percy's POV:**

I walked through the halls of my father's company building, my Mother and Isabelle trailing behind me, along with Thalia, Frank and Nico.

When I had announced that I was going to come see Poseidon, my Mother's eyes had teared up. She insisted on coming along with me, and now, part of my anxiety had to do with how my father would react when he saw her.

I had called him first thing in the morning saying that we needed to talk, and that Hades and Zeus should be there as well. My nerves were on edge as I thought about what I was going to ask them. I knew they would oppose to the idea the second it left my mouth, but I would not be taking no for an answer. Not now, not ever.

We reached his office soon, and I found myself holding my breath when I pushed open the door to his office, not even bothering to knock.

My father was seated at his desk, talking with someone over the phone. His chair was turned so he faced the windows in his office, the view providing the sight of the blue sky and buildings in the distance.

Zeus and Hades were seated on the sofas in Poseidon's office, talking in hushed voices. They looked up at me as I held the door open for the others to come in, and once my mother walked through, they blanched.

Zeus blinked multiple times, as if not believing his eyes. Hades stared at her wide-eyed, jaw clamped tightly shut.

My Mother acknowledged them with a small nod and smile, her blue eyes sparkling. Isabelle held her hand, looking around with big eyes. Piper had whipped out some clothes for her out of nowhere, and she was now dressed in overalls with butterflies on the clips, and underneath, a baby blue shirt. She even took out some black Nike shoes to go along. Piper had fallen in love with Isabelle the second she saw her, and fussed over her every second she could get. She even bothered to brush Isabelle's chocolate curls up into two pigtails. Piper had managed to make her look even more adorable than she already was, even if she had been wearing ratty old clothes before.

Isabelle stared wide-eyed at Hades and Zeus, eyes shining with curiosity. My uncle's jaws dropped when they made the realization.

Thalia stifled a laugh beside me. "Its like they've never seen a little girl before."

"Well," I said, reaching up to ruffle her hair, "not like you came close to one, anyway."

She shot me a glare and smacked me upside the head, causing Frank to chuckle on the other side of her.

"Can you blame them?" Nico said in his usual monotone, watching Isabelle with mild curiosity. "They haven't been in the presence of a child in years."

"Look," Frank whispered, eyes wide as he watched my father put down the phone.

Zeus cleared his throat, still looking at my mother as if she were a ghost. "Poseidon," he said, voice tight. "Perseus has arrived."

My father swiveled around in his chair and scribbled some notes down on a piece of paper, still not glancing up. "Well then," he muttered, still writing. "What did you request our audience for, Perseu-"

He had glanced up, the words dying in his throat as his eyes immediately locked on my mother's. The color seemed to drain from his face, the pen he was holding falling out of his hand and rolling to the floor, the only sound audible in the room.

" _Sally,"_ he whispered, voice sharp and scratchy.

My mother smiled at him, her eyes shining. "Hello, Poseidon," she said softly, a single tear tracing her cheek.

My father stood up from his chair, almost knocking it over in the process. My heart was in my throat as he began to walk around his desk and head towards my mother, movements hesitant and cautious, as if my mother was a deer that would run off at any moment.

My mother let out a shaky breath and walked towards him as well, letting Isabelle's hand slip out if hers. I grabbed my little sisters shoulders and pulled her to me, keeping my eyes on the spectacle before me.

My father grabbed my mother and pulled her towards him, encasing her in a hug as she hugged him back tightly, burying her face into his chest. Her shoulders shook as she cried, my father's face a mixture of disbelief, relief, and pain.

"How are you alive?" He whispered, pulling back and stroking her face with a hand.

My mother shook her head, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She smiled at him through tears. "I just am."

My father let our a breath and pulled her against him once more, arms gripping her tight. He closed his eyes for a second, and once he opened them, they landed on me and traveled down to Isabelle, who stared back at him with sparkling green eyes.

"Is that..." he started, seeming at a loss for words. My mother nodded, pulling back and smiling at Isabelle.

"Isabelle," she said softly, beckoning her over. "Come here for a second, darling. "

My little sister hesitated, stepping forward. She turned and looked at me, a question in her eyes. I smiled and nodded.

Isabelle turned and walked to her mother, hands playing with the metal butterfly on her overalls.

"Piper did a good job," Thalia said, nodding in approval, a small smile on her lips. "The girlie sure looks cute."

"She did it on purpose, " Nico muttered.

Isabelle finally reached my father, who knelt in front of her.

"Hi there, princess," he said, voice softer than I've ever heard it. "What's your name?"

"Isabelle," she replied, voice loud and clear. I smiled. She was not shy. "I like your eyes," she said.

My father smiled. "I think I like yours more," he said.

My sister's lips twitched. "Percy has the same eyes as you."

My father's eyes flickered up to mine, gaze full of warmth and affection. The look in them startled me, and my mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"Yes," he said, eyes still on mine. He gave me a smile. "Yes he does."

"Who are you?" Isabelle asked, cocking her head, her pigtails swinging in the action.

My father's gaze turned to her, and he smiled. "I'm your father," he replied.

Isabelle's eyes widened to the side of saucers. "I have a daddy?" She asked quietly, staring up at my mother. She smiled through tears and nodded.

Isabelle faced Poseidon, her eyes now shining. "Hi, daddy," she said in a whisper.

"Oh my God," Thalia said quietly. We turned to her, and I stifled a smile when I saw her eyes gleaming.

Nico's lips curled into a teasing smile. "Is Pinecone Face going to _cry?"_

"Wow," Frank said, keeping a straightface. "Now I've seen everything."

"Both of you better shut the fuck up," Thalia growled, glaring at them fiercely. I choked down a laugh. It was hard to take her seriously when her eyeliner was smudged around her eyes from wiping away her tears.

Hades cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable from all the affection that filled the room. "Yes well, we have some pressing news to talk about, " he urged, dark eyes shifting to Thalia, Frank, Nico and I. He offered my mother a smile. "Its fortunate to have you back with us, Sally."

"Its nice to see you both again," my mother replied, returning the smile and inclining her head.

"Poseidon," Zeus said, watching expressionless as my father talked to Isabelle in a low voice, making her giggle and laugh, a smitten smile on his face, clearing his eyes to look like the Caribbean ocean on a sunny day. Looks like Isabelle didn't have that effect on just me. I smiled.

Zeus sighed. " _Poseidon."_

My father looked up, blinking at his brother in annoyance before settling his eyes on me. "Ah," he said, face suddenly serious. He stood up, running a finger through Isabelle's hair. "What did you want to discuss, Perseus?"

"Annabeth," I said instantly, her name coming out of my mouth on it's own accord. I felt my chest compress. "I talked to the person running this whole thing. Frederick Chase."

"Frederick Chase?" Zeus demanded, eyebrows pulled in, eyes flashing. "The man Athena married?"

"He's supposed to be dead," Hades said, clasping his hands in front of him. A ring glinted on his finger, a skull planted in the middle, just like Nico's.

"Yeah, well it seems like all the people we thought were dead are coming back," Thalia said, crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced at my mother. "No offense, Aunt Sally. We're delighted that you're back."

My mother smiled warmly at her. "None taken, Thalia."

"Anyway, " I continued, frowning. "Frederick seems to want revenge. And Luke Castellan is his second-in-command, it looks like."

The three brothers exchanged glanced, expressions darkening. So they did know Luke.

"And what did he say?" My father prompted, entwining his hand with my mother's.

I inhaled slowly. "The only way he'll let Annabeth go is if we give him the contract signing the company over to you. The ownership of it, I presume."

"Absolutely not," all three brothers said simultaneously. Zeus glared at me. "Perseus, do you have any idea how important those documents are? If we hand them over to that man, he could do anything he wants with this enterprise."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Which is exactly _why_ he wants them. That man is powerhungry."

Hades frowned. "And that information is supposed to let us give you the contract?"

"We have to," I said, staring at all of them. "Even if the only reason I want it is for Annabeth, may I remind you that he has Athena as well. And if we don't give it to him, how do we know he won't come back to take it by force? Frederick seems to have a lot of allies on his side. If he wants war, I'll gladly give it to him. But is that something you really want?"

"And if we do hand over that contract, then we'll have our enterprise razed to the ground," Zeus said, eyes steady as they stared back at me. "All the hard work we've put into this company over the years gone to waste, all for some imbecile that won't leave us alone? Is that what you want, Perseus?"

I swallowed hard, clenching my fists. "I don't care," I said evenly. "As long as that fuc- that man is gone for good and gives me back Annabeth, I don't care what you do or think."

"What if we give him some fake documents?" Frank suggested, scanning the scene wearily.

Thalia shook her head, pulling on the gum in her mouth in a long string. "The bastard said he'll check them before handing Annabeth over to make sure they're bona fide."

"Isn't there any way to give him some papers that have what the real contract does?" I asked, looking at my uncles and father.

"Yeah," Nico said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door behind him. "What do you even really need to look at when you get contracts from another company?"

My father sighed. "You need to check the signatures, that's one thing, from both parties. The people that own the company, and those who are allowing the enterprise to be formed." **(I'm making this up, just roll with it.)** "Along with the date the contract was signed on."

"What is something important that is on the contract, but he might not look over?" Frank asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well," Zeus said, frowning. "Contracts carry a lot of important information. Any sentence can have a big impact on what exactly you're signing for. I guess we could change some of the wording from the actual contract on the computer to make it seem like we're giving him control, or perhaps even add an expiration date to the contract. We'll add it somewhere in the middle, so that when he scans it over, he won't give it a second thought."

I let out a breath of relief. "Perfect. That'll work. And if he does realize we're giving him a useless contract, we'll just have to win by force. One way or another, he's gonna die."

My father nodded. "Very well. We'll have the contract typed out and printed soon."

I nodded my head. "Thank you."

We walked over to the sofas and sat down, and I buried my head in my hands. I suddenly felt exhausted. All I wanted to do was sink to the floor and lay there, but the image of Annabeth in my mind was the only thing that kept me from falling into a heap on the floor.

Five minutes seemed to pass before my father was tapping my shoulder, forcing me to look up. He handed me a single paper, a series of words typed neatly on it. At the bottom was the signature of the head of the marketing and enterprising industry here in New York, along with the signature of my uncles and father on the other. No evidence of it being printed out was evident, making me blink in surprise.

"Thanks," I said, my voice tight.

I heard my father sigh, and I glanced up at him. He stared down at me with conflicted eyes. "You do realize that Zeus is not happy about this, right? If this goes wrong, this company will go down with everything else."

"Then he should try to be more optimistic," I quipped, standing up and nodding at the others. They stood up as well and exited the office. "Is Mom going to stay here or come back to HQ?" I asked, rolling my shoulders.

My father glanced to the other side of the room, where my mother was seated on my father's swivel chair with Isabelle on her lap. She was laughing and squealing in delight as my mother reached out and poked her in the sides. Poseidon smiled, his eyes warming at the sight.

He turned back to me, rubbing his jaw, a trace of a smile still on his lips. My father had smile lines etched into the corners of his eyes and mouth, as he always has, but now was the first time I've ever seen them prominent again.

"Your mother and sister should be more safer back at HQ. I trust that they will remain there while you are out," he said. "I'll stop by soon and stay there with them. I presume Jason will be there?"

I clucked my tongue. "He's not in the right condition to be wandering around the house right now, but he will be there. I might leave another member to stay there too, I'll just have to see who's willing to."

Poseidon nodded. "Very well," he clapped a hand on my shoulder, staring at me with a sort of pride in his eyes. "You've done well, Perseus. I wish you luck."

"Thanks, dad," I replied, slightly taken aback. He gave my shoulder a squeeze and released me.

"Mom," I called, the word still almost foreign on my tongue. She looked up and I gestured for us to go.

As I held the door open for my mother and Isabelle, after saying goodbye to my father, Poseidon called my name.

He looked at me, face grim. "My brothers expect that if anything goes wrong, you will be taking full responsibility for it. This gang, this company depends on you, I hope you know that."

I swallowed hard, setting my jaw. I nodded at him. "I'll see you later, dad."

And with that, I walked out of the room.

* * *

I entered Jason's room, Isabelle close by me.

Piper was seated next to him, stroking his face and singing softly, just like the first time I'd entered this room after he'd been hurt. But this time, Piper wasn't crying.

I closed the door behind me and held Isabelle by her shoulders, steering her closer to the bed.

Jason was still more pale than usual, some beads of sweat running down his face. His eyes were sunken, and their intensity was gone as they focused on me. He smiled weakly.

"Hey man," he said, reaching out a hand to bump fists with me.

"Hey," I greeted, feeling a sharp jolt seeing him so weak. "How you feeling?"

"Like utter and complete shi-"

"Jason!" Piper said sharply, stopping her singing and reaching out to cover Isabelle's ears. "There are little ears in the room."

He winced as he shifted slightly, getting a better look at Isabelle. He offered her a smile, his eyes sparkling. He hadn't met Isabelle yet.

"Hey there," he said. "So you're the infamous Percy Jackson's famous little sister, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Jason."

"Hi Jason," she said, big green eyes wide as they shifted to the bandaging around his midsection. She stepped closer to him, tentatively reaching out to touch the ace wrap. "Did you get hurt?"

"Just a little," he said, grimacing as he shifted again.

"Stop moving, you idiot," Piper muttered, standing to adjust the pillows under him.

"I want to sit up," he said, gripping her forearm.

Piper muttered under her breath as she adjusted the pillows against the headboard. "Percy, a little help here."

I walked towards them and gripped Jason's shoulders, helping him sit up. He clenched his jaw hard, his breathing labored as we finally settled him in.

"You need to stop moving around so much," Piper scolded, grabbing a towel from his nightstand and dunking it in a bowl filled with water and twisting it. She dabbed his forehead, wiping off the sweat.

"Are you tired?" Isabelle asked.

He wrinkled his nose. "Who, me? Of course not."

Her lips twitched. "Then why are you sweating so much?"

"Sweating is part of being a man," he said, laughing and wincing.

Piper rolled her eyes, but a smile danced on her lips.

Isabelle faced Piper, her pigtails swinging in the motion. "You sing very pretty."

Piper's face melted into a smile. "Thank you. Maybe sometime I could teach you some songs."

Isabelle grinned. "That would be fun."

Piper reached out and pinched her cheek, causing her to giggle. "It would, wouldn't it? Your big brother here is quite the singer himself."

Isabelle whirled on me, a grin lighting up her face. "Really?"

I shot a discreet glare at Piper, who stifled a laugh. I sighed and knelt in front of Isabelle.

"Unless you like hearing the sound of a dying cat," I said, tugging on a strand of her hair. "Then yes, I can sing."

Isabelle laughed, and the door opened behind us. My mother poked her head in, smiling at us. Her smile wavered when she spotted Jason, motherly concern etching her features.

Jason waved at her, both in greeting and dismissal to his current state.

"Don't worry about me, Aunt Sally," he said, managing a grin. "I'm perfectly fine."

Her lips twitched into a smile, and she looked at Isabelle. "Izzy, are you hungry?"

Isabelle bounced on her feet, grinning and nodding.

My mother laughed. "Then come on. You can talk to Jason later. Say goodbye."

Isabelle turned and walked over to Jason. She delicately wrapped an arm around him for a hug, being careful not to touch the ace wrap.

"I hope you don't sweat anymore," she said, pulling back and grinning at him, dimples on display.

Jason managed a chuckle. "I hope so too."

Isabelle grinned and turned to Piper, wrapping her small arms around her. "Bye, Piper."

Piper smiled, poking one of her dimples. "See you later, kiddo."

Isabelle laughed and walked to me, her eyes shining. "Will you come eat with me later?"

"Of course," I replied, smiling. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I just have to talk to Jason and Piper about something."

"Okay," she answered, hugging me tight. She ruffled my hair, the sudden action making me laugh.

Soon, my mother and Isabelle had left, leaving just Piper, Jason and I in the room.

Piper shook her head, a smile on her face. "How could something so adorable and happy be sister to such a rough and angry guy?"

"Fuck off, Pipes," I said, pulling the chair Jason had near his desk and swinging it around before sitting down.

"She's just so cute," she said, poking me in the side.

I shook my head. "I can't believe I even have a little sister. I literally feel so nervous around her. I feel like I'm going to get angry and hurt her. She's so delicate and small, I can't help it."

"Nah, man," Jason said. "You're working on it. I think I see some change in your temper. It's just really, really small."

"Not helping," I muttered.

"The point is," Piper said, "Isabelle is a strong girl. She's spent her whole life in a basement or whatever that was, for fuck's sake. Sally did a great job. I'm sure that if you lose control, she'll put you in your place by landing a good kick in the balls. That always works."

"Yeah, so, I'mma change the subject," Jason said, shifting his eyes to me. "What's the game plan?"

"Hold the fuck up," Piper said, glaring at him. "You are not going anywhere. And so help me, I will tie you to your fucking bed if it comes to that."

"Damn," I said, pulling out a knife from my back pocket and twirling it in my hands. "Did you get any sleep, Pipes?"

"No," she grumbled. "This idiot wouldn't let me. Every ten seconds, he sent me to the kitchen to get him something to eat. Then he would send me back because it was 'too hot,' or, 'too cold.' You aren't Goldilocks, Sparky."

"We're getting off topic here," I said, interrupting her rant. I sighed, turning the knife in my hands. "Poseidon, Zeus and Hades agreed to copy the real contract and make a few changes to it in order to make it useless to Frederick. They even added an expiration date to the contract. Now we'll see if he takes the bait and gives Annabeth and Athena back."

"Wasn't the deal only for Annabeth, though?" Jason asked, frowning.

I set my jaw. "One way or another, I'm coming back here with both of them with me."

"Who are you taking with you, today?" Piper asked, worrying her lip.

I sighed. "I told Hazel to contact Travis and Connor and Clarisse and Michael Yew's groups. Piper, you're coming with me too."

She nodded, wincing slightly. "I thought as much."

"Goddamn it," Jason groaned. "Why'd I have to get run through with a fucking sword? Now I'm going to miss out on all the fun over some stupid shit-piece of metal."

Piper rolled her eyes, facing me. "What time are we leaving?"

I checked the time on my phone. "I say in about two or so hours. We're going to the same warehouse from yesterday. You better start getting ready."

She nodded, glancing at Jason. She leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his mouth, pulling back and staring at him right in the eye, her eyes shining with sudden tears. "You're going to take all your medication, you hear me? I'm going to leave alarm clocks for each one." She glared at him through tears. "If I come back and find out you're dead or you overdosed, mark my words Jason Grace, I will fucking kill you."

Jason managed a weak laugh. "Calm down, Pipes. I won't die, not yet, anyway."

She shook her head, a tear tracing a path down her cheek.

"Hey," he said, voice soft. He reached up to tug on a feather woven into her hair, smiling with adoration at her. "I'll be fine. You'll be fine. If I find out you're dead, Piper McLean, mark my words, I will kill you."

She laughed, shaking her head. "You're an idiot."

Jason smiled, and his eyes shifted to me. He reached out a hand, and I clasped it with my own, giving it a shake.

"It's been a pleasure working with you, man," he said, face serious. "You'll get her back. Don't worry."

I sighed, patting his leg. "Jase, that's all I've been doing, unfortunately."

He gave me a half-smile. "You'll do it. How could you not, when you're sworn off love?"

I felt my throat constrict. I wasn't sure if that was the thing that would be the end of me, or make me prosper.

Either way, in the end, it would only be down to one.

* * *

I entered the kitchen, just about ready to leave.

To get back Annabeth.

My mother had set down a steaming pile of pancakes on the kitchen island, where Isabelle watched them with a look of wonder on her face. I could see why. She probably had never seen pancakes before, and what added to that wonder was that my mom had added some food dye to it. Blue, to be specific.

Seeing my childhood favorite food brought a lump in my throat, especially since they'd been made by her. My mother turned to me and noticed my expression, her lips curling into a sad smile.

"You remember these?" She asked softly.

"How could I forget?" I said, walking over to the plate and picking one up. I bit down on it, the same flavor entering my mouth from all those years ago. "Still got it, mom," I said, swallowing hard.

She chuckled. "It's been so long since I'd made them. I was worried I would have lost it," she smiled, turning to Isabelle and placing a pancake on her plate, drizzling it with syrup and cutting it up for her.

Isabelle stared down at the food with curious eyes.

"Go on, Isabelle," my mother coaxed. "You'll love it."

Isabelle glanced at me, and I grinned. "Trust me, it's awesome."

She turned back to the food and picked up her fork, stabbing a piece of pancake and slowly putting it into her mouth. She chewed it carefully, and just as soon, her eyes lit up.

"This is so good, Mommy!" She exclaimed, shoving another forkful into her mouth. "I give it a hundred out of ten."

"Wow," my mother said, smiling. "I'm that good, am I?"

Isabelle nodded vigorously, continuing to eat to her heart's content. She looked at me, eyes bright. "Are you going to eat too, Percy?"

"I'll join you in a sec," I said, smiling at her. "I just need to talk to Mom for a little."

"Okay," she said, picking up her glass of milk and drinking.

I pulled my mother to the side of the kitchen, out of hearing range from Isabelle.

My mother stared at me with sad and concerned eyes. "You're leaving?"

I nodded, exhaling. "I have to go get her, Mom. The more I spend time without her... it hurts. I can't get her out of my head and it's driving me insane and making me pissed at myself for ever letting her run away. I can't do anything without her popping up in my head. I have to go."

My mother's eyes twinkled and she gripped my arm, smiling at me. "You really do care about her, don't you?"

"More than I'd like to admit," I muttered, shaking my head. "I don't care if we lose Olympus Enterprises. I don't care if I die. I just need her safe and away from all this danger."

My mother stared at me with a warm yet firm expression. "You do what you need to, Perseus," she said softly. "When you care for someone this much, you do not let them go. That expression, 'when you love someone, you have to let them go,' is not going to work in this situation. No, Percy. You're going to get her back and hold her tight, you hear me?"

I laughed bitterly. "Unfortunately, this isn't about love, Mom."

"Then what is it?"

"I..," The words died in my throat, and I clenched my jaw hard. What is it? I care for her, enough to put everything at risk for her, but my head is telling me no, this is not about love. "I don't know."

"Listening to your head isn't going to work right now," my mother said, as if reading my mind. "When Annabeth talked about you... you should have seen the look on her face, Perseus. She cares for you. You both are too caught up on the past to let your emotions go. In order to change that, you need to make peace with your past to be able to let it go. You both are helping one another with that. " My mother gripped my arm tighter, looking me in the eye. "When you get her back," she whispered, "you tell her, Percy. You hold her tight and keep her at your side. Both of you have changed each other so much, and even if I haven't been here to experience it, I can feel it. Something like that is too precious to let go. So you tell her. You look her in the eye and tell her."

I felt my throat constrict, a painful heat spreading through my chest, enough to make it hard to breathe. "I will," I said, my voice quiet and hoarse.

My mother's expression softened, and she touched my face. "You look so much like your father," she said softly. "I told you you'd live up to be that hero. Brave, smart, loyal and powerful."

I glanced at Isabelle, who was grabbing another pancake from the stack. "Except I'm not doing things to save people, Mom," I whispered, turning my gaze to her. "That's a big difference than what you wanted me to be."

"Maybe so," she said quietly. "But only you have the will and power to change that, don't you? Making changes and changing yourself, for the better or good, requires a good soul. And you, Perseus, have one."

"How are you so sure about that?" I asked, my voice a mere whisper.

"Because," she said, smiling, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "From the little time I've spent with you since I've come back, I can see it. Everyone else can. You're the only one who hasn't. Annabeth is helping you realize that. So whatever you do, whether it's for love or not, you will change everything for better or worse. That's a decision only you can make."

* * *

I slammed the car door shut, the others exiting along with me.

"You guys bring everything?" I asked, coming around the back of the van to help Frank unload. Hazel had decided to stay back at HQ, wishing us all luck with tears in her eyes, tears she did not let fall.

"Not sure why you're asking us this now, but yeah," Frank said, pulling out the bag loaded with weapons. I pulled out a second one, this one filled with some bombs and other exploding gadgets Leo filled it with.

The others came around the side, faces determined. Yet through that, I could see a layer of anxiety underneath.

"Are the others here?" I questioned, swinging the bag over a shoulder.

"Travis and Connor are here. They're close by. Clarisse and Michael should be here soon," Thalia said, crossing her arms and leaning against the side of the van.

"Tell them that when they get here, to stay in the van. We don't know if shits gonna go down. But if it does, then Leo's gonna blow up one of these," I pulled out a dynamite stick. "When they see that, they come running in and slaughter anyone that gets in their way."

Thalia nodded and pulled out her phone, typing the message.

"Now," I said, turning to face the rest of them. I gave them a mischievous smile, trying to muster up the confidence I had left. "We go in."

* * *

We walked into the warehouse, and just like before, it was empty and quiet.

"Where are the assholes?" Leo murmured, his brown eyes dark.

I clenched my fists and looked around, but there was no one to be seen. The boxes from last time were still there, some of the holes from the bullets we had fired still evident.

That's when we heard the footsteps.

My head jerked in the direction of the hall to the right of us. And from the sound of it, it was only one person.

My heart started to pound in my chest, loud and persistent.

Frederick soon appeared, his face expressionless.

"Perseus," he acknowledged, a cold smile spreading across his face.

"Where's Annabeth?" Were the first words that left my mouth, each syllable coming out in a clipped and harsh tone.

"She's somewhere, " he said vaguely, waving around as he stepped to the center of the entrance, a few feet away from us.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that she's part of this exchange," I said, trying hard to keep my voice steady and in control.

Frederick sighed and spread his hands. "How could I?" He smirked. "Luke," he called, keeping his eyes on me.

Luke suddenly appeared on the catwalk, and wrapped tightly up in his arms, gagged, was Annabeth.

My heart leapt into my throat at the sight of her. Her shirt was torn up and her jeans were smudged with blood, her face a bloody mess. A bruise was forming on her cheek and one was evident in her jaw. Various cuts aligned her face, but her eyes were shining with anger and desperation, fierce as they locked on mine.

When she spotted me, she squirmed and struggled against him. Luke leaned close to her ear and whispered something, and her eyes widened, flashing with fear and anger.

I clenched my jaw tightly, facing Frederick.

He raised an eyebrow. "The contract?"

I glared at him and slowly took out a folder from the bag, keeping my eyes on him.

I opened the folder and took out the paper, my heart speeding up.

He glanced at it and smiled, a cold, satisfied smile that set me on edge. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, men had surrounded us from the different hallways, but from the looks of it, they didn't have weapons this time.

"What is this?" I snarled, gritting my teeth.

He blinked, almost innocently, shrugging. "Just in case you try anything during the exchange."

I felt anger rising up my throat, my blood roaring in my ears. "What makes you think I'd try anything?"

His lips curled into a hellish smile. "What more could I expect?"

I clenched my teeth hard. "Fine," I narrowed my eyes at him. "Now, give me Annabeth."

He stared at me impressively, but when he glanced at the paper in my hand, his expression was a malicious sort of greed I'd never seen on anyone.

"The papers first," he said, tearing his gaze away from the contract.

Annabeth began to thrash wildly, her blonde curls swinging. Luke growled something to her, his arms tightening around her.

She was trying to tell me something, but the furious pounding of my heart and blood rushing in my ears didn't let me concentrate.

"Percy," Piper whispered beside me, her eyes on Annabeth.

"I know, I know," I muttered. I turned my head slightly to the side, speaking in a low murmur. "Leo, if something goes out of the ordinary, if any suddenly movements are made, you light that fucker up, you hear me?"

He nodded, a quick, small dip of his head, but I saw it.

I turned back to Frederick, inhaling and flexing my arms. I set the bag on the floor and slowly walked over to him, trying hard not to look at Annabeth, who was shrieking and growling behind her gag, thrashing and wiggling around.

I had a death grip on the folder as I stretched my arm out to hand it to him, all the muscles in my body tense and alert.

The room was dead quiet and filled with tension as the folder got closer to Frederick's waiting palm. Something was wrong, I could feel it.

And right when I was about to fully hand the folder to Frederick, Luke let out a shout.

"PERCY NO!" Annabeth suddenly screamed as Luke stumbled back, clutching his jaw with fury in his eyes.

She shook her head frantically. "Don't give him the contract! He's just going to kill you afterwards-"

She was cut off when Luke snaked his arms around her throat and covered her mouth, leaving her screaming and thrashing.

"What the fuck?" I growled at Frederick, my vision slowly turning red. "You were going to kill me, you fucking bastard-"

He lunged at me, and someone- Piper, let out a scream.

"Kill them!" Frederick shouted, struggling as I brought my fist up to connect with his jaw. "Kill them all!"

Frederick's fist hit me in the temple, and I gritted me teeth. I punched him in the throat, making him gasp. I sent another punch to the side of his face and knocked him off of me, the sound of gunshots and metal against metal filling the building.

Hell had broke loose.

I stood up in a rush, frantically scanning the area as a loud pop filled the entrance, wincing slightly at the abrupt sound. Leo had alerted the others.

A sudden flash of blonde curls filled my vision, and I whirled around to see Luke, dragging Annabeth after him as he tugged her down the catwalk and disappeared into a hall.

A growl tore it's way from my throat, and just as I began to run to them, stuffing the folded up contract into my jacket, someone tackled me to the floor.

I turned to see a man in his early twenties, clicking a bullet into place and pressing the gun to my temple.

"The mighty Riptide," he sneered. "Finally brought down to his knees."

I spotted Thalia, a few feet away, her eyes flashing angrily as she knocked an arrow into place and aimed it at the man above me.

I smirked up at him. "And soon, you'll be brought down onto your back and into Hell."

He blinked in bewilderment, just as an arrow soared through the air and planted itself into his neck.

He slumped onto me, and I pushed him away, making sure he was laid onto his back. I picked the gun off the floor and whipped a knife out of my pocket.

"Thanks, Thalia," I called to her. She winked at me and somersaulted over a guy, stabbing him in the neck with a hunting knife.

"Percy!" I heard Frank call behind me. I turned as he threw me a sword, and I caught it, nodding in thanks.

I heard another explosion, this one bigger, and I stumbled slightly, watching as men went flying and stumbling to the floor.

Someone shouted behind me, and I turned as a guy slashed at me with a sword, grazing my arm when I turned to dodge it.

I gritted my teeth and blocked his next strike, pressing and pushing him back. Another guy came behind me, and I twirled and slashed at his leg, making him groan and fall to his knees.

The guy behind me drove his sword towards me, and I moved swiftly to the side, running my sword right through his chest. He crumpled to the floor.

The one of slashed in the leg hacked at me, his movements now a bit sluggish. I kicked him in the chest and he fell to the floor on his back, and I brought my sword down into his throat. Blood gushed out as he choked, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

I was breathing hard, my head pounding fast. A bullet raced by, so close to my head I felt my hair move.

I felt a sudden burning sensation in my arm, a groan escaping my lips. I looked to see my skin torn open; a bullet had raced by and grazed my arm, biting off a small chunk of my skin.

I turned and looked around, but the image of my members fighting against others surrounded me.

I gripped the knife in my hand and threw it a man running at Piper, sword raised in the air. The knife planted itself in his throat, and the sword flattered out of his hand.

I raised the gun in my hand and fired bullets at various men, each one racing straight into their chests.

I saw many fallen people, and some of whom I painfully recognized as my members.

 _Annabeth,_ I thought distantly. Luke had taken her.

A sudden shout filled the air, and I turned to see Connor fall to his knees, a sword embedded in his stomach, the man that ran him through still gripping the hilt.

Travis had been the one who shouted, murderous rage filling his eyes as he threw his sword at the man, sticking into the side of his chest, going in deep.

"CONNOR," he shouted as his brother fell to the floor, blood gushing from his wound like a torrent of water.

My vision was swimming, and I watched as Travis fell to his knees besides his brother. He tapped Connor's face, giving him light slaps, whispering his name over and over. But it was no use. Connor was dead.

A guttural shout left my throat, and I spun around, ripping out two more twin hunting knives from the inside of my leather jacket and stabbing whoever came near me and firing bullets everywhere.

I watched as Michael Yew fell to the floor, blood seeping out of his chest. I watched as someone sliced at Reyna with a sword, grazing her waist. I watched as more of my faithful members collapsed to the floor, blood trickling out of their wounds and dripping onto the floor.

I felt a rage build up inside me, and I picked up a sword from the floor, blood coating the top. I ran it through anyone who came near me, jumping and stabbing and kicking, punching anyone who was fortunate to be near me.

Pretty soon, I was splattered in various areas with blood, cut up and wounds marking my body.

"Percy," Nico said, suddenly beside me. His lip was split and there was a cut on his chin, a bruise slowly forming on his jaw. His shirt was torn, a long line of red running up his side, but other than that, he seemed fine.

His eyes bore into mine, serious and angry. "Annabeth," I saw his lips form her name, but I could not hear him. My blood was roaring in my ears, my anger and fury making it hard to hear and focus. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me, looking at me straight in the eye. " _Percy._ Annabeth, Luke took her. He should have taken her somewhere in this warehouse. You need to go find her."

The image of that gorgeous, intelligent, unique blonde filled my mind, and I regained my focus. I nodded, breathing hard.

Nico gaze my shoulder a squeeze before pushing me to the side, taking out his long black sword and stabbing a guy with a gun in the chest, sending him to the floor.

I frantically looked around and ran in the direction of the staircase that led up the catwalk. I kept my gun gripped tight in my hand, sending a bullet racing into anyone who came near me.

I ran up the stairs, my feet pounding along with the rest of my body. I ran the way I'd seen Luke take Annabeth, my heart racing fast against my chest.

He could have already left with her somewhere else. They might already be miles away.

But no. I knew she was here. My heart was aching, feeling like someone had doused it in gasoline and lit it on fire. She was still here, close by. I could feel it.

And I would get her back.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

Luke pulled me along with him, turning various corners and running down different hallways.

"Luke, let me go!" I screamed, trying to wrench myself from the grip he had on me.

"Shut your fucking mouth," he snarled, his hold on me tightening. "I'm saving your worthless life. You should be thanking me."

I let out a harsh laugh, anger coursing through my veins, fear coiling itself around my stomach. " _Thanking you?_ Luke, did I really hit you that hard? Or are you just being more insane than usual?"

He growled and fisted a hand in my hair, yanking hard as he stumbled into another corner. He opened a door and pulled me through it, this one leading to a set of staircases. He led me down them, his grip achingly tight.

 _Percy,_ I thought with a wince. _Where are you?_

Luke led me through a different door, this one familiar from the last time I'd been here.

It was the one that led to the garage.

I brought my foot up and smashed it on to Luke's feet, rearing my head back and colliding it with his jaw.

He shouted, slamming back against the door. My head swam as I took in my surroundings, but all I could see was a clearing and then rows upon rows of cars.

I ran towards them and hid behind one of them, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to calm my breathing. Percy should know I'm here. _Someone_ should be able to find me in here. All I had to do was wait.

And try not to die.

I heard Luke let out a noise between a groan and a growl, and then footsteps, slowly approaching the cars.

I held my breath and cautiously peeked over the hood of the car, spotting Luke, peeking around the side of some cars. He straightened, and I ducked back, praying that he didn't see me.

I heard more footsteps, these approaching the direction in which I was, and a low chuckle.

"You wanna play hide and seek, Annabeth?" He said, getting closer. "Fine. I'll play."

Taking a shallow breath, I rolled to the side, ducking behind another car. His footsteps kept approaching, and for a second, I was afraid that he could hear my pounding heart, about to rip out of my chest.

The footsteps stopped, and I froze, not daring to even breathe.

"You know," he said, breaking the dreadful silence. "When I find you, you're not going to get away from me again. I'm going to take you back to my apartment and tie you down to the bed. You'll live with me, just like old times."

I bit back a cry and instead let out a shaky breath just as he resumed to walking, coming closer and closer. I rolled in front of the hood of another car, being as quiet as I possibly could.

The footsteps stopped, and so did my heart.

For a second, it was dead silent, and I held my breath, my head swimming and heart thumping against my rib cage.

It seemed like an hour had passed before Luke continued to walk, his footsteps seeming to recede to the other side.

I took that as my chance to roll to the other car beside the one I was hidden behind. And when I did, I smacked into something.

Luke's legs, to be precise.

A scream tore it's way from my throat, and I scrambled to run from him, but his hands clamped around my arms, hauling me up.

He pressed his lips to my ear. "I win," he whispered, his hot breath sending a cold ice to spread around my chest, freezing everything inside it.

He kept one arm around me as he patted his jeans with his free hand. He clucked his tongue. "You made me drop my keys," he said, voice irritated as he began to drag me in the direction of the door.

The keys were laying askew on the floor, about six feet away from the door, and when Luke bent down to pick them up and rose again, I heard a bullet being clicked into place.

I looked up to the door, my eyes locking with a pair of sea green ones.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart stopping.

"Percy," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Luke had seen him too. His arms had tightened around me, his eyes now dark and angry.

Percy had his gun pointed straight at him, eyes burning with fury.

"You're going to let her go," he said in an even, steady voice, unwavering. "Or I plant a bullet in the middle of your head."

Luke set his jaw, his eyes blazing. "You wouldn't."

In one swift movement, Percy fired a bullet into Luke's thigh, making him grunt in pain and grit his teeth.

"Oh yes I would," Percy said quietly, voice low and angry.

"Fine," Luke said through gritted teeth.

I felt Luke's grip loosen on me, until it was gone.

I let out a breath, my body trembling as I took one step towards Percy.

My heart ached. I would finally be next to him. I would finally get to touch him. To admit everything to him. My realizations had come, and now, I would not hold back. I understood now, and this time, my fear would not get in the way.

Just as I was about to take another step towards him, I was being thrown against the wall, the air leaving my lungs and making me gasp for air.

Luke lunged for Percy, and in his surprise, he was knocked over, sending the gun skittering across the floor.

Luke threw punch after punch at Percy, and each action made my heart thump a beat harder than before.

"She's _mine,"_ Luke growled at Percy, wrapping his arms around his neck. "You hear me? She belongs to me. Always has, and always will."

Percy's eyes were filled with a murderous rage as he drove his fist up and punched Luke in the jaw, with enough force to send him sprawling to the floor. Percy jumped on him, pummeling his face and fisting his hand in his shirt, shaking him hard.

"Annabeth doesn't belong to anyone, you insane, spoiled shit stain," Percy seethed, voice trembling with anger. "And you're going to stay the fuck away from her. You're going to go to fucking hell and stay there."

Luke growled and punched Percy in the jaw, but Percy did not relent. Instead, he threw punch after punch, ducking at every swing Luke took at him. The two wrestled on the floor, a blur of bodies molding together as they fought.

Terror filled my veins as I spotted the gun feet away. My body was aching with pain, and I made to stand up, only to collapse to my knees. It hurt to simply move my arms. My head was swimming, images dancing before my eyes. I had to get that gun. I had to kill him.

I pulled myself over to it, dragging myself across the floor. Each action made pain flare up my sides, and I bit down on my lip hard to keep from crying out. Tears blurred my vision, and with one last claw at the floor, I reached out and fastened my hand over the gun, pulling it into my hands.

I pointed it to the two men, rolling around of the floor, swinging at each other furiously, grunting and growling.

They were moving too quickly. I couldn't zero in on Luke. Every time I pointed it at him, Percy would replace his spot, now in the range of the bullet.

I blinked hard, trying in vain to clear my vision. I opened my eyes, and now I could finally see the two, how different they were from one another. I knew who I would hit when I fired the bullet. I knew who would die. All I had to do was press the trigger and pray to God it hit the right man.

Except something in me made me study them more closely, trying to gauge who I really ever cared for.

Luke, who's lips were pulled back in a snarl, his eyes blazing with fury as he ducked another blow from Percy. If he were to glance at me, his eyes would remain angry, with desire filling them as well. He'd told me countless of times he'd loved me, that he still loves me. It was only a matter of peeling away all that charm and charisma that you found the truth. I'd loved that man. I'd told him so everyday.

Percy, who's eyes were a dark green, filled with anger and intensity as he rolled to the side and threw another punch, this one to Luke's temple. If he glanced at me, his expression would soften, and passion and care would overtake his features, telling me he'd never hurt me. He never told me he loved me. He told me he would protect me and be there for me. And he did. That was all I ever needed.

In the end, it's always down to one person, one heart, to make a decision, make the choice that would either save them, or be the end of them. Others might tell you to do something, but your heart, even without a brain, always knows whats best. It's the one thing that knows you the best. It's the thing that's carried all your pain and sadness and happiness and love. It knows you more than any other thing ever will.

Your heart will always end up making the decision for you, even when you don't realize it.

I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger, the sound of the bullet racing through the air and resonating deep in my bones.

I did not open my eyes. Not even when I heard footsteps slowly approach me. Not even when I felt someone grab me by the arms and cautiously lift me to my feet. It was only when he spoke my name, a soft whisper, that I opened my eyes.

Percy stared back at me, his expression soft, pained, and concerned. But it was when I looked into his eyes that I saw a mirror of my own feelings; a desperate, aching and painful, harsh longing that had been tearing us apart for so long.

"Percy," I sobbed, falling into his embrace, pushing my body tight against his. His body fit like a puzzle piece against mine, filling me with a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. Tears flowed down my face as I clutched him tight, breathing in his scent, feeling all the familiar things that made him Percy.

"Hey," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me tight, just the right amount so that he wasn't crushing me, but enough that I knew he had longed to be next to me again too.

I pulled back, staring into his eyes, feeling overwhelmed with emotions so strong and painful, I clutched his torn up shirt in my hands hard to prevent from collapsing to the floor.

He held my face in his hands, pressing his forehead to mine.

"It's okay," he whispered, wiping away the tears that left my eyes. "We're okay. We're together now."

I looked up at him, the sudden urge to kiss him overtaking everything else. I pressed my lips to his, feeling something swell inside me. My heart.

Percy kissed me back, passionately and slowly, relishing my touch just as much I did him. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight. Tears continued to flow out of my eyes, a never ending torrent. I'd missed him so much, it hurt. I couldn't even explain it to him, the sudden pain I had felt being without him, the fear I'd felt thinking I would never see him again.

I broke away from him, holding his face in my hands. "My Mother," I breathed, my breathing ragged and harsh.

"Where is she?" Percy asked, gripping my hands in his.

"She's somewhere in the warehouse," I said, feeling suddenly dizzy. "We have to go get her-"

The sound of a bullet being clicked into place cut me off.

I froze, slowly turning to look at the person standing in the doorway, pointing a gun straight at me.

My father.

Time seemed to slow as Percy pushed me behind him as my father fired the bullet, embedding itself right into Percy's chest.

Percy sank to his knees, and a guttural scream tore its way from my throat. I lunged at my father, kicking the gun out of his hand and kicking him the stomach hard. He crashed backwards, his head hitting the railing of the staircase. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.

I turned back to Percy, a sob rising up my throat as I stared at his body, sprawled on the floor, his breathing harsh and slow.

I sank to my knees beside him, grabbing his face with trembling hands.

I squeezed my eyes shut, a sound between a moan and scream and cry leaving my throat. I pressed my lips to his cut up face, bleeding and full of bruises.

"Hey," he rasped out, reaching up a weak hand to touch my face. I grabbed it and pressed it to my face, my body shaking violently.

"It's... okay," he whispered, squeezing my hand weakly. "The asshole... didn't... hurt you... did he?"

I managed a weak laugh. "No, he didn't. I'm perfectly fine."

He smiled, his eyes becoming unfocused. "Good," he breathed, his eyes starting to flutter shut.

I shook my head, a sob tearing it's way from my throat as I pressed my forehead to his, my body shaking with every cry.

My heart felt as if someone had stabbed it with a knife. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move from that spot on the floor. I would not leave his side.

"Percy... please," I sobbed, touching his face with numb fingers. "Don't die... you can't die."

I let out a cry and grabbed his face in my hands, his own hand slipping from my grip. I shook my head, a single question filling my mind.

 _Why?_

"Because," I whispered hoarsely, keeping my forehead pressed to his. I inhaled sharply, swallowing hard, the mere actions feeling like a bunch of needles were stabbing me in the chest repeatedly.

And then I said the three words I'd sworn I'd never say again.

The three words I once believed would kill me.

"Because, Perseus," I whispered raspily, pressing a kiss to his forehead. I stroked his face. "Because I love you."

* * *

 **~Kat**


	49. Chapter 48

**HEY MY LOVES! EARLY UPDATE TIME! I COULDNT WAIT. Who's excited? Who's still bawling their eyes out from the last chapter? Who's shrieking with happiness for this newest update? Who thought it was gonna end on that last update? HA! I'M BACK! GET PREPARED TO CRY EVEN MORE! Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I couldn't fit it into the last chapter. At least the story is stretching out more? So yeah. READ AND WEEP, MY LOVES.**

 _ **TheYoLOMan:**_ **Aha! You saw it coming? That's great. THAT WOULD BE THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME! Thanks for the idea, now I'm dreaming about it. Damn, you missed** ** _practice_** **to read this? Didn't know it was that important. Your Coach is gonna come after me sooner or later for this :D I'll be waiting, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **I'M SORRY, ANNE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I DIDN'T MEAN TO (HAHA, YES I DID) Talk about, "I love you, I hate you." Poor Connor. I did feel bad about killing him. It was really sad. WE ARE FRIENDS! I'M SO SORRY! I'm glad you liked everything else, though. I sure liked writing it. Oh, Anne. Don't make me cry. Your heart should be able to take on anything when you finish reading this story ;D I'm doing you a favor. Hope you have fun in your crying fest ((:**

 _ **CaptainPokemon01:**_ **Glad you enjoyed the long chapter (: And sure I'll read it!**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **Who knows? You'll sure find out in this chapter, though :D Both are good points tho. I he died, no one would be the same. If he lived... well, it would end as a happily ever after. You'll see in this chapter, though ((: Hope you enjoy it!**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **ILY TOO! You are very much welcome, Kass ((: Ooof, it hurt to write this chapter. I was emotionally unstable, and I almost cried. Haha, I liked writing that scene though. That was fun. Frank is a little smol bean with a sense of humor. Everyone loves to tease Thalia- it's awesome. I love you so much, bbg. You are the highlight of my day when I talk to you. Thank you for that ((: Ily! xxxxx**

 _ **leighismyname:**_ **That's exactly me while writing this chapter (: I haven't read the Harry Potter series, but I'm terribly sorry ): You'll see what happens to Percy in this chapter... hopefully the results don't make you fall into a crying heap :D**

 _ **julia:**_ **Then I won't tell you that this is the end (: Not sure about a happy ending, but you'll sure get an ending :D This plot is fucking me up too, just writing about it (:**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **She finally does! I teared up writing that part. Damn... Guess I'm dead all ready. Have a nice day too! xxx**

 _ **Guest:**_ **LMFAO. The perfect reaction ever.**

 _ **MrShmoove:**_ **It's a dark... really dark sort of sorcery that wants to drain the happiness from you all (':**

 _ **Guest 67:**_ **I'm so sorry! That's just how much of a mean person I am. But thank you! I'm glad to hear that. I'm so happy to see that you love it ((: Hope you enjoy this chapter as well :D**

 ** _Gwpf:_ Why not? Haha... yeah, now's not the time to be joking around. I'm awfully sorry. THAnK YOU! I'm happy to hear that. I hope your prayers came true. Hopefully you like this chapter ((:**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **I'm glad you do! I hope you like this chapter, Cinder!**

 _ **Zeppelin0219:**_ **I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!**

 _ **Lilliana:**_ **I can't stand seeing you all in pain. It hurts me too. And this is the last chapter before the epilogue, so get ready (: I hope you like this chapter, Lilly ((:**

 _ **Meistar:**_ **Haha... not everyone. Don't exaggerate...haha... I almost cried writing that scene with Connor. It was so sad. Luke won't be holding anyone anymore, unfortunately. I'M SO SORRYYYY!**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **I'M SORRYYY! DON'T MAKE ME CRY, CAROL! I'M CRYING IN THE CLUB TOO! Sally and Poseidon are goalssss. Aww... I'm happy to have made her even more adorable than she already is. Gods, I love my OC. Woah there... calm down. But you're right, they should rot in hell. SHE SAID IT! SHE FUCKING SAID IT! AGHAGAHAGA I'M STILL SO SORRYYY! CONNOR DiDN'T DESERVE THISSS... I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON. AURGGHH. Reyna will be fine, I'll tell you that now. Don't want you more worried than you already are. I love you too, Carol. Thank you so much for being such an amazing and kind person. You are awesome. Thank you, my friend xxxx**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **I CAN'T! THEY'RE MY THING! Thank you, though. You'll see what happens in this chapter ((:**

 _ **Sad:**_ **WAYYY too many feels. I couldn't help it. I will start a new series, and I hope you can read it! Aww, can I? I'd be too tired to write one, but thanks for the compliment. FUCK SCHOOL.**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Why don't you say both? I'm fine with that :D THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 _ **steelmagnolia247:**_ **Yay! You caught up! That's awesome. I've been waiting for your arrival. LMAO, I could just imagine that. I felt like I was watching it too, though. Thought I was the only one. Wow... thank you so much ((: Didn't know I was doing that. I'm glad you love it! Hope you love this chapter too!**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Sadly, it is, my dear friend. Those questions will all be answered, trust me. Yay! Thank you for voting on my poll ((: ARGHHG NOOOOO IM SO SORRY GAUTIIII! DON'T YOU MAKE ME CRY AND FEEL AWFUL ABOUT MYSELF TOO! STTTOOOPPPP! I won't stop writing, thank you for everything. Love the hashtags, btw, even though they make me wanna roll up into a ball and cry.**

 _ **Guest:**_ **NOT YOU TOO!**

 _ **Fanngirl101:**_ **Thanks for your vote ((: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter :DD**

 _ **Percabethlover:**_ **I'M SOOOO SOOORRRYYYY! BECAUSE I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON, THATS WHY. SO VERY CLOSE. DON'T DIEEE! I CANT HAVE THAT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I DONT DESERVE SO MUCH PRAISE. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **Anonymous:**_ **Thank you... that was beautiful.**

 _ **wheresmymindgoingmaybe:**_ **nnnNNOOOOOO! DON'T SAY THAT. Im so sorry. This i** **s so heartbreaking. Im depressed now. I hope you enjoy this chapter xxx**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Wow, that's an amazing word.**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **Welp, imma go hide now. I have no idea what I have just done. Im terribly sorry. Words are amazing and magical. Guess the cops are gonna come after me soon enough. Thank you so much! I love you too :3 Dont die! Here's the next chapter ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Imma hide now!**

 _ **DramaticBook0000:**_ **Thank you so much! Plot twists are amazing! Im crying just writing this, but dont worry. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **istar144:**_ **I will! Was this update early enough? I hope it was ((:**

 **Disclaimer: For the second to last time, I don't own PJO**

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I could not sleep.

Two days went by, and I remained locked up in my room. I did not sleep, eat, or do anything.

I felt like I was in a coma, the days going by me, the world still revolving around me, while I still felt like I was trapped in one time period. _Percy was in the hospital._ That was all I needed to know to make me want to stay locked up in my room.

Some of them came in to check on me, to ask me if I was okay. A simple shake of my head would give them my answer, and they would leave.

 _Come back,_ I wanted to say. But it was as if my voice would not work. As if a single word I spoke would shatter everything around me and leave me alone forever, even more than I felt already.

Piper and Sally had come in without a word and sat next to me, grabbing my hand and simply giving it a squeeze. They never asked me anything. They never pried me to tell them anything. They simply sat there and were there with me.

And that was all I needed.

It felt like I had been the one to have been shot when Percy crumpled to the floor, the bullet wound going straight for his chest- right where his heart should be.

The rest of the Olympians had found us eventually, with me holding Percy as he bled to death beneath me. I knew I should have ran for help. I knew I should have called for _someone,_ but I couldn't. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. I could only think of the words I had said to Percy, right when I was sure he was about to die.

I laughed out loud, the sound brittle and harsh. Of course I would tell him those words right when he was about to die. Right when I was sure he could never return them, even if I was sure he never would have in the first place.

And now, here I was, waiting to hear about any news from him. Waiting to hear if he couldn't be saved, or if he was alive.

Either way, I couldn't bear to hear anything from anyone.

Suddenly, I heard someone knock on the door, the sound dull and warbled in my ears, as if I was underwater.

I brought my hands up to my face, and only then did I realize that I had been crying. I wiped away my tears harshly, leaving my skin feeling dry and stinging.

"Come in," I croaked, clenching my hands tightly in my lap.

The door opened, and Piper walked in, a look of relief on her face.

She had a cut over her left eyebrow and on the side of her jaw, now mended and treated. She walked over to me and sat next to me, and once she did, she exhaled slowly, the breath coming out shallow and shaky.

"Percy's been stabilized," she said quietly.

I felt a sob rise up my throat, and I choked it down, my hand flying up to my mouth as tears flooded my eyes.

The barrier that had kept me frozen and immobile for what felt like so long broke, leaving me sobbing in relief as my body shook.

Piper leaned towards me and wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly. I felt her body shake as well, and her teardrops hit my shoulder as she cried.

"Why did it take so long?" I asked, my voice hoarse and dry.

Piper pulled back, her eyes red and puffy, her tears planted on her cheeks. "That wound was deep, Annabeth," she said softly, gripping my hand tight. "Percy lost a lot of blood. They did a lot to keep him alive. Annabeth, he almost died."

I felt my throat constrict excessively, and I swallowed the bile in my throat hard. "When can I see him?"

"Now," she said, giving me a small smile. "If you'd like."

"Please," I whispered, feeling something swell inside me, just thinking of him. "I'd like to go as soon as possible."

She smiled at me, her eyes shining. "Then as soon as possible it will be."

* * *

I walked into the hospital, each footstep feeling heavier than the last.

My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as the others filed around me. Reyna, Leo, Nico, Thalia and Piper had come as well. Poseidon had been here the second he got the call that Percy had been shot, bringing Sally with him earlier today, while Hazel and Frank took care of Isabelle at home.

Reyna walked to the front desk to the receptionist, a look of distress on her usual impassive face. "Perseus Jackson," she said once the receptionist turned to her.

The woman's eyes widened in understanding and she nodded, quickly typing away on her computer.

"Room 334," the woman answered, face slightly pale.

She started to say something else, but I didn't hear what it was. I was already down the hall, walking straight towards the elevator.

I heard them calling my name behind me, their voices dull from the furious pounding of my heart. My breathing was ragged and harsh as I punched in the button to the right floor. I did not look up through the elevator doors as they began to close. All I could think about was seeing Percy again.

And what I would say when I did.

* * *

I walked out into the hall, passing nurses and people as I walked. My eyes scanned the different room numbers, my heart rate increasing as I neared the one that would be to Percy's.

And as I got closer and closer, I froze.

There it was.

I did not think of what I would say, I did not breathe, I did not move.

And then the image of him flashed in my mind, the image of him freezing and collapsing to the floor once the bullet reached his chest. I heard his gasp, I could feel his skin beneath my fingertips as I stroked his face. I could hear my own voice, whispering his name over and over, telling him I loved him.

I blinked, the images and thoughts clearing from my mind.

I reached to push the door open, only to have someone put their hands on my shoulders and draw me back.

I stiffened and refrained from turning to kick whoever was grabbing me, only to be put at ease when I heard a familiar voice.

"Woah, there," Will said, turning me around to face him. He shook his head. "Not quite yet, Annabeth."

"Will, please," I said, surprising myself with the ability to speak. "I have to see him now."

He shook his head again, blue eyes sad and pained. "Hermes is giving him some medication at the moment. With that stuff, he'll be knocked out for a couple of hours."

"Then I'll go in now," I said, my blood turning cold.

He winced. "That's not safe for him right now. If he sees you, he might feel overwhelmed and his heart rate elevate too much. He's still in a fragile state right now. That wound went in deep, especially since it was from a closer range. About two inches to the right and he would be dead right now."

I felt my chest compress, and I swallowed thickly, the action almost hurting my throat. "Then I'll wait," I said quietly. "I'll wait until he wakes up."

Will nodded, reaching up to squeeze my shoulder. His blue eyes twinkles as he stared back at me, giving me a nod. "Stay strong, Annabeth," he whispered quietly. "Percy needs that right now."

I fought back tears and nodded, putting a hand on his arm. "I'll try my best."

* * *

I walked into the waiting room, the others already seated and waiting.

"How are you guys already here?" I asked, my voice scratchy and metallic to my own ears.

They all looked up, and Leo shook his head, giving me a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You would have been here too," he said. "If you hadn't run off up here without us, that is."

"You never stayed to hear what else the receptionist had to say," Reyna explained. Her and Leo were seated next to each other, and as I looked at them a bit more, I noticed that their hands were entwined together, fingers close tightly around one another. I almost smiled. Almost.

"She said that Percy was being given medication at the moment," she continued to explain, dark eyes still burning into mine. "He would be put to rest for about an hour."

"I know," I sighed, slumping down into a chair. I buried my face in my hands, sinking my nails into my hair. I felt tears prick my eyes. "I just can't wait any longer."

"Don't worry, girlie," I heard Thalia say next to me, her own voice so thick with emotion, I thought she might cry. "Percy will be just fine. You'll see him soon."

I lifted my head, my vision blurry with tears. "All I can do is wait. It's what I've been doing now, anyway."

"Waiting can always be a good thing," Piper said quietly, linking her arm in mine. "The anticipation might kill you, but it's what makes the good things that come out of it worth it."

"And what if they're bad things?" I asked, blinking to get rid of the tears.

Piper looked at me with sad eyes. "Then all you can do is wait some more and hope that something good comes out of the bad. That seems to be how this world runs, Annabeth. One bad thing happens, and something good might come sooner or later to balance everything."

She gripped my hand in hers, squeezing it tight. "I know that things aren't always fair, Annabeth. Things will always be unbalanced in life. But you have to learn to cope with those things. When things aren't fair, you have to fight for it. And that's what you've been doing. You've been fighting to make your relationship with Percy balanced. You may have not succeeded with that just yet, and if you did, then what would be the point? It's that fighting that keeps you two together. And you will continue to do that if you want to keep that bond."

I smiled at her and swallowed hard, her words flowing over me like a warm breeze. "Thank you, Piper," I said, squeezing her hand. "For everything."

* * *

 **(A/N: If you guys can, please, _please_ listen to the song _War of Hearts_ by _Ruelle_ for this you want the maximum feels and feel like crying, please, _please_ do. You'll love it.)**

It felt like six hours had went by as I waited for someone- _anyone,_ to tell me that I could see Percy.

When in reality, it had been an hour and thirty minutes.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I looked up from staring at the floor to see Sally, smiling down at me with shining eyes. I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"Can I see him now?" I asked, my voice raspy.

"Yes," she said softly, touching my cheek. "He's awake now."

I swallowed hard, standing up on shaky legs. I should be running and slamming the door open to his room and smiling with joy, but I felt nervous to see him again. I felt a strong urge to cry just knowing that he was all right. I felt overwhelmed, so much that my vision started to swim.

A tear traced Sally's cheek, and she leaned forward to hug me, holding me tight.

I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I saw everyone looking at me.

My whole career required people constantly staring at me, but now, I felt like crawling under a table to hide from their gazes.

"You see?" Piper whispered, patting the back of my knee and smiling up at me. "You can go see him now. Don't be nervous, Annabeth. You have no idea how happy he'll be to see you."

I gave her a strained smile and faced the long hallway, seeming almost three hundred yards long.

Then I started walking down the hallway, the one that held Percy's room.

My legs were trembling with every step I took, so much that I was sure I looked like I was made out of jelly and would collapse at any moment. My heart was pounding hard and fast, making it difficult to breathe.

I found myself taking slow and shallow breaths, exhaling raggedly and sharply.

My head was swimming, making everything around me twist and bob and contort itself.

I wanted to cry, but no tears came out. Not a single gasp. Not a sob.

Now, I was in desperate need to cry. To let it all out before I saw him. I knew that the second I spotted him, I would lose it.

His smile flashed in my mind, his dark yet bright green eyes, filled with fire and infatuation.

My breathing staggered, just knowing that I would be face to face with those sea green eyes soon enough. My whole body was trembling. I would collapse at any moment. I would stop breathing. I would lose any ability to speak, or think, or _move-_

Then I spotted it. Room 334.

My heart stuttered with every breath I took. What would I say? What would I do?

 _Don't think,_ a voice in my head said. _Just feel._

I swallowed hard, my vision fogging as I pushed open the door, my arms shaking violently.

Then I saw him.

He was propped up in the bed, looking exhausted and weary. A hospital gown covered his wound, but his face was still filled with cuts and some bruises.

But then his eyes locked with mine, filling with light and adoration.

That's when a sob tore out of my throat.

My whole body shook as I continued to bawl as I made my way over to him, my heart in my throat. I threw my arms around him- around this damaged, beautiful man and _cried._

I gasped and choked on my own tears, holding him close against me, never wanting to let him go again.

I felt his arms carefully wrap themselves around me, still strong and filling me with warmth.

"It's okay," he whispered, arms tightening around me. "It's okay... I'm okay... It's all right...Shh...Annabeth."

I pulled back and held his face in my hands, my vision blurry with tears. "I thought you were dead," I sobbed, pressing my face to his.

"Of course not," he said softly, stroking my face. "I'm alive and breathing, aren't I?"

"Perseus Jackson, don't you _fucking_ _dare_ ever do that again," I cried, scanning his face and caressing him, not wanting to let go.

He chuckled, wincing. I felt a hot needle poke my skin, seeing him in pain.

"What do you mean?" He asked, voice quiet. He smiled at me, a boyish smile that set my nerves on fire. "You mean save your life?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words died in my throat as another cry racked my body. A look of pain flashed across his face, and he reached out to caress my head, his fingers running under my hair. He pulled my face close to his, pressing my forehead against his. His breath fanned my face, and I fought down a sob when he leaned up and pressed a kiss to my forehead, causing heat to spread throughout my body.

"I was so worried about you," he whispered, staring at me with worried eyes. "I thought he might've hurt you- or worse."

"You took a bullet to the chest," I said, inhaling shakily. "And you were worried about _me?"_

"I wouldn't have cared if I died," he said simply, his gaze intense as it bore into mine. "As long as I died knowing you were safe, I would die in peace."

"And if not?" I asked, my breathing ragged as tears pricked my eyes.

His eyes flashed. "Then I would be back with one hell of a vengeance."

I swallowed hard. "When I saw you there, laying on the floor with blood running out of your chest- I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. Percy, I couldn't do anything. If the others hadn't found me soon enough, you... you could have died... and-and it would have been all my fault."

"Hey," he said softly, stroking my face and keeping his eyes locked on mine, that same adoration and intensity blazing in them. "Me dying would have never been your fault. If I die, that's because I let myself. But you, you're the only thing that's kept me from doing that. As long as you're with me, I will remain alive. If you are by my side, I will continue to know how it actually feels like to live in happiness again. Don't ever blame yourself for the cause of my death."

My breath caught in my throat, and I pressed my lips together to keep from crying, biting down hard on my tongue.

Percy shook his head, eyes flickering to the white sheets of the bed before glancing back up at me, gaze intense. "When you were gone... I finally realized how important it is for me to take care of myself. I was _terrified,_ thinking that you might never come back to me. But I wouldn't believe it. Not for a minute. Now, I realize that I have to stop doing such dangerous shit and pay attention to what I do. I have people that actually care and love me. I won't let that go to waste all because of me not caring about what I do, or if I might die." He paused, inhaling a shallow breath.

"And if I get to live," he said softly, hand warm against my skin as his eyes burned into mine. "I will live to see you everyday."

I closed my eyes, my heart swelling as I pressed my forehead to his once again. Percy let out a breath, and I felt something, a weight inside me, lift up, almost as if that breath Percy let out was meant for me as well.

"You never believed you wouldn't get me back?" I whispered softly, my throat constricting.

"Never," he said, the word loud and clear. I felt my heart swell, almost painfully.

It hurt so much to finally see him again, alive and breathing. But it was the aftermath of it all that made me want to break down into a bawling mess. I cared about him too much now. I always have, but now, in this life-staking moment, I finally realized it. This man was the thing that kept me strong. He was the one person who popped into my head as I fought with Luke with every ounce of strength I had left in me. I'd loved him then, but I was too afraid to admit it. My love for him didn't make me weaker. It made me _stronger._ And I loved him for that. I love Perseus Jackson. With every inch of my heart.

"I remember the first time we were here together," Percy murmured, head still pressed to mine.

A laugh escaped my lips, brittle and broken, but still something. "You called me a crazy bitch."

"What?" A smile curled his lips. "I would never call you that."

"My memory begs to differ," I said, placing a hand on the underside of his head, my fingers curling into his still soft hair.

He opened his eyes, dark with seriousness. "That was a bad time."

I let my eyes flutter shut, not wanting him to see the fear in them. "We're still in a bad time right now, Percy."

"If I get to see your face everyday, I will always be in a good time," he said softly.

I drew in a breath as a lump rose in my throat. I let out a small laugh, breathy and fragile. "Percy..."

"I mean it, Annabeth," he said firmly, voice still quiet.

I swallowed thickly, and opened my eyes, now shining with tears. "I just can't get over the fact that...that you almost..."

"Annabeth," he said sternly, eyes studying my face. "I'm here, and I am going to stay here with you for as long as I live. I'm not going anywhere anymore, and neither are you."

"But what if...what if this time-"

"No buts," he interrupted, eyes dark and jaw set. "No what ifs."

He craned his face to press a kiss to my lips, a kiss that was soft and firm at the same time. He pulled back, dark eyelashes framing his beautiful eyes. "We're safe now," he said, tone set and green orbs shining with certainty. "We don't have to worry anymore."

"How do you know that?" I choked out, my voice cracking as tears began to stream down my face.

"Because, darling," he said, voice suddenly soft. He brought up a hand to caress my face, gently wiping away a tear with his thumb. His eyes shone with so much adoration and devotion, it was just enough to make me almost break down sobbing.

But it was what he said next that did it.

"We've broken our oaths now. We're not sworn off love anymore."

He looked up at me and smiled- a beautiful smile full of such warmth and intimacy, that it made a sob tore its way from my throat.

"I love you, Annabeth Chase."

* * *

 ***Exhales slowly* I did it. And I am in tears.**

 **Next chapter is the epilogue.**

 **I have five top choices for you guys to choose from for my upcoming story:**

 **\- The Seven Deadly Sins. Seven teenagers meet when they are all sent to counseling. Each one has a problem that makes them a danger to everyone else. Some would say they were each a representation of a deadly sin.**

 **\- Percy is a demon, Annabeth is an angel. When they meet, they can't help but be attracted to one another. What happens when the rules forbid them from being together.**

 **\- Annabeth is the princess of Rome. Percy is a gladiator fighting for his freedom.**

 **\- Annabeth is the president of the United States. Percy is an assassin posing as her bodyguard. And Annabeth Chase is his next target.**

 **\- Annabeth is a regular high school girl who wants a little more excitement in her life. Percy is an alpha pack wolf leader looking for his soulmate. He's everything she should stay away from, but the danger and exhilaration he brings draws her to him even more.**

 **If you guys can, please leave your vote in the reviews! I will try my best to upload the final chapter very soon. Get your buckets ready. I already have mine.**

 **You guys... I can't believe it. I'm crying right now. I love you all and this story so much. You are all my pride and joy. Love you all xxx This is the last time I will reply to your reviews... so whatever you want to say, go ahead and tell me ((: You guys are amazing and fantastic and wonderful. I love you guys xxx**

 **~Kat**


	50. Epilogue

**Wow... it's finally over. I have nothing to say right now, since I'm busy crying. But just... wow. *Takes deep breath.* Okay.**

 **You guys are amazing and I love you all so much. You've supported me since the beginning, and Im so grateful. You guys rock my world, and I'm getting emotional just thinking about everything with this story being over. You guys are awesome. I wish I could put it into more detailed words, but there's no words to describe how astounding you all are. Many of you have reviewed what chapter I had currently been writing when you started reading this story, and I found that so peculiar and sweet. I love you all so much xxx**

 _ **WizardDemigodGeek:**_ **Thank you for your vote! And thank you for your sweet words! I'm sad that its over too )): Thank you for being such a great person and friend to me, it is greatly appreciated. Hope to see you sometime in whatever story I write next!**

 _ **steelmagnolia247:**_ **XD loss for words? I'm glad you did! I loved writing that part. It'd actually been one of the earliest scenes I'd written in this story. They finally did! Isn't that adorable? I've been waiting to write that part :D Guess the waits over... too soon, if you ask me. Thank you for your vote! And thank you for ever joining this fic's family. Its been a great pleasure to have you as a part of it ((:**

 _ **sapphirelg:**_ **DONT DIE! And yay! You checked the song out! I absolutely adore that song, and it actually gave me some inspiration to write that scene. I thought it went along perfectly. Thanks for your vote! I'll definitely add it in ((: It wont be cliche- that is, if I write it. I dont do cliche. Well... maybe it slips in sometimes. I would've loved to read what you rambled on about- its one of the things I like about you :D Im going to miss seeing you ramble and us fighting about YOU GETTING SOME SLEEP. I dont think you're crazy. I think you're awesome ((: I forgive you for half of your rambling. I ramble a lot too. THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD START SLEEPING MORE. Thank you for making me laugh. I love to laugh. I will miss you, Lil, and I hope to see you in the next story I write xxxx You're a great friend :3**

 _ **CaptainPokemon01:**_ **Uh oh, don't worry, crying is good. Jordan will not show up in this chapter, but he will be briefly mentioned. Grover was mentioned in this story, but he did not show up. Umm... I'll have to get back to you on the facts.**

 _ **Marcoous:**_ **Don't worry. Just this once, you don't have to be a man. Let it all out, dude. Trust me, you'll feel better afterwards :D Hope to see you again!**

 _ **TheYoLOMan:**_ **Ooh, you do basketball? That's awesome :D Are you good? I'm stupid, of course you are (: True enough. Thank you! I love fluff, and I think this story needed some after all the violence and heartache. Yep, this is the Grand Finale. Awe, thank you. I know what you mean about stretching out the stories. I didn't want to do that. In fact, I was super excited to write the ending. I love endings. Everything gets wrapped up, whtehr it ends with a happily-ever-after, or something that leaves you pissed and crying. *Curtseys* Thank you, thank you. It's been a pleasure replying to your reviews and having you a part of this fic's family. It's been one hell of a ride of tears, anger, happiness, and plain old love. Yeah! You can totally keep thinking about this. Maybe even re-read it. (Im just kidding. The beginning chapters are cringy af). Thank you for your vote! It's greatly appreciated. Hope to see you again xxx**

 _ **SapphireTrafficker:**_ **I had a feeling you'd pick that one (': Its been a joy having you as a part of this family. Thank you for all the alternatives you've offered, criticism, and thoughts. Hope to see you again soon xxx**

 _ **Gauti:**_ **Gauti... my friend... where to start? You've been such a great friend. You dropped out of nowhere with a review, and I loved and honored every single reply I sent you. You're an amazing person, and I can't imagine why you would ever be single (you're single right now, right?) You'll find the one. I know you will. You're so easy to talk to, and your thoughts about the chapter you read always got a laugh or smile out of me. Thank you for that. I feel like I do know you too. Oh my gods, stop flattering me. Bad spelling is a pet peeve of mine. Or just grammatical errors. I hate it. Our friendship has evolved, and im glad it did. Im glad you were with me on this journey. Its been crazy and fun. Oh my gods... stop, Gauti... you're gonna make me cry too. Whoops, think I've already started. I absolutely love that song, and it was actually one of my inspirations to write that scene. Ruelle is amazing. Thank you for your vote! Sadly, super votes aren't a thing on here (they totally should be) but I'll definitely add in your vote ((: I hope to see you in the next story I write. I hope we can continue talking. PM me if you ever want to talk, I will answer write back! Keep in mind that you'll be my beta for my next story! I'm excited for that ((: So keep your PM inbox in check, in case I ever have to send you the chapter ((: Looks like you'll be previewing them before any one else. Thank you so much. Lots of love xxxx**

 _ **leighismyname:**_ **Im crying now because you're crying ))))': Don't do this to me, Leigh. Love you lots xxx**

 _ **Percabethlover:**_ **Aw, thank you. I'm glad you think that. STTTOPPP YOU'RE SWEET WORDS ARE GONNA MAKE ME CRYYY. I'm glad I gave you happiness through words. It's been an honor. I will miss replying to your kind reviews )): I hope to see you in the next story I write xx I'm nervous about it not living up to this one, but I'll try my best (: You're right about good things coming to an end. Sadly. Who knows? Maybe Thalia just let it slip by just this once ((: Love you xxx**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I'm glad it has ((: It's been a pleasure writing this story for you all. Thank you for your vote! I will definitely count it in xx**

 _ **thesweetscentofbooks:**_ **Thank you for your vote! Annabeth is president material, isn't she? That's why I thought that one would be good ((: Thank you for all your reviews, its been awesome replying to them ((: Hope to see you again :3**

 _ **VioletJackson:**_ **Thank you! Im glad you enjoyed it!**

 _ **MrShmoove:**_ **Thank you for your vote! I will add it in to the rest. And perhaps... :D**

 _ **Percabeth4ever:**_ **They do! It's so exciting. Thank you for your votes! They're greatly appreciated. I'm happy because you're happy! Thank you for leaving such wonderful reviews and hurrying me up on my updates. Its been fun ((:**

 _ **Cinder Luna:**_ **Its fine ((: I'd actually been thinking of the wolf one for a while now, and I decided to add it in. That chapter was filled with emotion, like I wanted it to be. I love emotional stuff. It's so heart-touching. You're welcome! Everyone needs to cry and just breakdown once in a while. OOh YAY! I can't wait! Aww, thank you so much Cinder. It's been a pleasure having you as a part of this family- since the beginning. You were one of the first people ever to review, and you've stuck with me since then. Thank you so much for that. I hope to continue talking to you xxx**

 _ **SeaGreen101:**_ **Thank the gods you forgive me. I wouldn't know what to do if you didn't, Anne. I'm glad you thought it was cute! I wanted some fluff in there. It was about time. We'll see about which story I do, but I hope you will read whatever I do decide to write. It's been amazing talking to you and replying to your reviews. I'm so grateful that we've become friends. I'd be bored out of my mind if we never had a chance to talk. I don't want it to finish either, but like another one of my readers said, all good things come to an end. Guess now's the time. Thank you for being such an amazing and wonderful person xxx We'll definitely keep talking.**

 _ **Emopunk mad hatter fangirl:**_ **Aww... Now you're making me wanna cry. All of us are a sobbing mess sometimes. Baha, thank you (; I'll never get over anything related to this story either. Thanks for your vote though! That's greatly appreciated. Seems like a lot of people like the whole angel/demon thing. Have fun with your crying fest ((:**

 _ **Guest 4:**_ **Oh my gods, thank you ((: That is so sweet.**

 _ **Percabeth824:**_ **Thanks for your vote ((: I can't believe it is over. It feels like I just started writing this story. Awe, thank you so much. Really, I'm grateful that you've stuck with me throughout this whole story and reviewing and being a great friend ((: I hope to see you again in whatever story I write next and stick with me on that journey as well xxx**

 _ **Stargazer1300:**_ **Oh Kass... I'm crying just writing this to you. You are such an AMAZING and FANTABULOUS and WONDERFUL person... I literally have no words to how thankful and honored to have you as a friend. Girl... you are awesome. I love you so much, babygirl. I still remember your first reviews, which were all polite and stuff, and now you're just letting fucking loose. You've gotten so many laughs out of me for that. Thank you. I love you so much, my dear, beautiful friend. I know school can be a mega pain in the ass, but with your flawlessness, you'll slay everything in your path. I know you will. Don't worry about reviewing late, I forgive you. Lmao, me writing that scene made me rethink about everything too, so I get what you're saying. You'll nail those finals. It's okay, you can cry. I know I am. Let's just say that when they got Percy out of that warehouse, everyone was in shock and crying and an angry mess. You know I would end those chapters like that. It was important for everyone to realize how much of an impact love has. Awww thank you so much. I will do my best to please you (: I care! You are going to do amazing, you always do. Seriously, PM me whenever you want, babe, I'm right here for ya. I hope we can continue to talk, because you're just too amazing to not be able to talk to you anymore. That would make me so fucking depressed. You are amazing and gorgeous, never forget that. I love you so much, and thank you, thank you for everything xxx**

 _ **Guest 67:**_ **Thank you! It was, wasn't it? Those to mixes are always amazing. Thank you so much ((:**

 _ **Anonymous:**_ **All righty! Thank you for your vote! I will definitely add it in :D It would be fun :3**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thanks for your vote! I'll add it in ((:**

 _ **Lilliana:**_ **Thank you for being so sweet and kind and reading this story through and through. Thanks for your opinion ((: I'm crying right now, and wow, didn't think I was that powerful with my words, but thank you so much :3 Hope to see you again soon in the next story I write! xxx**

 _ **Gwpf:**_ **Aw man, I'mma miss you and your food antics. That was always fun. Thanks for your vote! Don't worry... this time I won't be mysterious and just say that this will be a happily ever after ((:**

 _ **Mike:**_ **Okay! Thank you for your vote!**

 _ **DemonicKillJoy:**_ **I can't believe it either, trust me. It's surreal. Aww, I'm glad it is. A lot of my readers say the same thing... and it makes me _so damn happy_ to hear that. Never in a million years did I ever think I would reach this many reviews or have so many readers telling me they enjoyed this story. It's amazing. Thank _you_ for being such a wonderful person. It's been a great pleasure having you be a part of this family. Stop... you're going to make me cry now. Oh well. But thank you for your heartfelt words. They mean so much to me. It makes my heart swell so much to hear things like that. I can't believe it. Thank you for your vote, by the way. I hope that you will read whatever story I write next. That's a beautiful name! It was an honor to talk to you, Raegan. Hope to see you soon xxx If you ever want to talk, just PM me, I will be there to reply ((:**

 _ **boy:**_ ***Sobs* you're so right.**

 _ **julia:**_ **I'm glad you do! Oh my God... wow. Are you serious? I hope you're okay now. I'm glad this story helped you... its an honor that it did. Never thought I would be possible for that. Thank you for your vote! Aw, don't say that. I'm sure you're much better than I am. Weird is awesome ((: Thank you so much! Hope to see you again!**

 _ **Echo:**_ ***Sighs* Sadly, all things come to an end. And thank you for vote! I hope you will read whatever story I write next (:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Oh my gods, wow. Never thought I would cause that. You're so very welcome. I do this to make you all happy, along with myself as well. I will continue to write things I feel passionate about, and I can only hope that you will all enjoy whatever I put out there. I appreciate your kind words so much... I'm going to cry too now. Thank you for your votes! I hope you will read whatever story I decide to write next ((:**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you!**

 _ **Sad:**_ **All right, I'll add your vote in :D Oh my wow... thank you so much. It's been a pleasure blowing you all away. I can only hope that whatever I decide to write next pleases you all and continues to shock you all. Awwww, don't make me blush. You're so sweet. I hope to continue to be able to reply to your reviews ((: See you soon xxx**

 _ **lunarfangirl:**_ **Oh my gods, thank you so much. I'm glad you stumbled upon this story and read it through and through. Thank you so much ((:**

 _ **wheresmymindgoingmaybe:**_ **Uh oh, hope you're okay there. Pfffttt, I'm not crying either, why would I cry? I know right? Who would cry because of that? It's fine. Just knowing that you've been reading this story to the end is enough for me ((: Oh wow, you've been here early then. Yeah, I wanted this story to be predictable and cliche in the beginning, and then just drop a million bombs on you guys so you're all just there sitting and staring at your screens for a while. I love it when that happens to me. I'm so stunned that I have to go back and reread what I read to make sure I read that right. I wanted to write something that would leave you guys shocked like that. Guess I did a pretty good job. Oof, listening to music makes everything the more harder. I love music. Especially when I'm reading. Don't worry about the length of your review, it brought such a big smile on my face, so thank you for that. And thank you for your votes too, we'll see what I end up with. And who knows? Maybe if I do write the president one, I'll have some tricks up my sleeve (; I dont know yet. Guess we'll all have to wait. I hope to see you in the next story I write. Thank you for being a great support and leaving these kind words for me. If you ever want to talk, feel free to PM me. I will respond right back ((: Thank you, and take care xxx**

 _ **greekdemigodwannabe:**_ **Caroline nnnoooooo! You're going to make me cry- welp, too late. Awww, thank you so much. You are one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Thank you for being such a kind and heartwarming friend. Really, Carol, every review you've left me has always brought such a big smile on my face. Thank you so much for that. You, my darling friend, are phenomenal. I hope you know that. I love you so much. I shrieked just writing that scene! It was one of the first scenes I'd written when I began this story, and I was so excited to get to it. Leyna had to happen sooner or later, and here they are ((: OH MY GAWHD STOPP CAROL, YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY! I've always loved Piper and Annabeth's relationship in the books. They contrast so much, since Piper's all about feelings and Annabeth's all about intellectual. Yet they work so well together. I love them. You are the Piper to my Annabeth, and I hope that I will see you in whatever story I write next (: Feel free to PM me if you ever want to talk. I'll be there xxx Take care :3 XOXOXOXOXO**

 _ **Guest:**_ ***Coughs* My eyes are sweating too. We should really get that checked out by a doctor. I can't believe its over either. It seems too soon. In the meantime... you can just wait and be patient (: I'll be writing a couple one-shots, so feel free to check those out when I've posted them ((: My best friend loves Hamilton. Emotions are the greatest thing ever. Thank you for your vote, I'll count them in. Of course I'll be reading this chapter's reviews, so if you can, leave a clue so I know its you ((: Thank you for the recommendations. I'll definitely go and read the story, but what is the name of the video? I can't click on the link )): I love angst, so I'll most likely like them :D Bye my friend, I hope to see you again soon. Stay happy and safe, and be patient, I'll be back soon :3**

 _ **hannahPJOleonard:**_ **Thank you for your vote! I'll count it in :D**

 _ **istar144:**_ **Aw** **, thank you! They are my inspiration for everything. Thank you for your vote!**

 _ **Chazzadaggazza:**_ **Thank you? I admit, I got lost for a second while writing this story, but I set myself straight pretty soon. Glad they did cause some shock. Thank you so much! As for your vote, I'll add that in too ((:**

 _ **JackGiant15:**_ **Aw, thank you so much! I'm sure there are better ones out there, but thank you so much :D**

 _ **Guest:**_ **You're so kind! Thank you for your sweet words (: They mean a lot. I'm not sure about becoming a famous author, but thanks for that. It's so heartwarming. Thank you for your votes! You're too nice xxx**

 _ **Damaris Diamond:**_ **He finally did! I was so excited to write that. Yeah, hopefully the length of this chapter will make up for the last one :3 Thanks for your vote! I can't believe this story's over either )): Dying with words is the best way to go :D *Exhales* Thanks for not calling them. I already have enough of them after me.**

 _ **FrictionFiction108:**_ **Damn... that was the longest review I've ever gotten. When I saw it, my jaw literally dropped. But thank you for taking your time to write all that, I enjoyed reading it :D Don't worry about not reviewing before- just reading this story is enough for me ((: I have actually read one of your fics- House of Olympus- and I think it's great! Writing them does, unfortunately, take up a lot of time. But I literally have nothing to do, so I guess that's good for me. Your review made me laugh and smile, so thank you for that. You're too kind. There was a whole shitload of stuff going down, and I wanted it to drop in from out of nowhere. Like, making the story innocent and cliche in the beginning, and bam. Plot twist here, cliffy there, another plot twist over there- yeah, perfect ingredients. I guess you could say I like violence. Especially with guys, (lmfao, sorry about that). But seriously, I enjoyed writing Percy beating the shit out of everyone. I love him. Guess you did have some luck for not reading this story for a while- you didn't have to go through the torture of a week's wait to find out what would happen. I'm a very emotional and angry person in general, so writing the emotions for the characters came easy. It was a relief for me as well, writing about everything I felt. I'm an angsty person, and I love angst. I hadn't planned of the rape in the beginning, but when it came to me (I'm weird) I was like, "huh, that would make things a _lot_ more interesting. Imma do it." So yeah. Cruel, but effective. I wanted to make Luke the biggest asshole ever, and I succeeded. I wanted to make Frederick the big jackass ever. I had been waiting _forever_ to finally get Percabeth together. When the time came, I gave it my best. And writing their first sex scene? Yes please. I did not know the men you were talking about, so I searched them up. Yeah, you're totally right. They're basically El Chapo (if you know who he is) combined with Donald Trump (I hate him) times 10. Writing the death scenes of the characters broke my heart, but it had to be done. I didn't really get hate, and right now, I'm feeling the love. All my readers are awesome and supportive. They're like family now. Thank you so much! It was fun reading your review, and it touched my heart so much I wanted to cry. Thank you for that. And you're in college! That's amazing. The fact that you're older than me and reading this story blows me away. Thank you for your time, and sorry for this long-ass reply, but really, it was so sweet. Have a good one :D**

 _ **Holly:**_ **Aww, thank you so much! You're so kind! Thank you for your suggestion, you'll have to wait and see what happens :D But thank you so much for your sweet words. They warmed my heart. I loved writing about Percy being heroic yet still a bad boy ((: And he will continue to be both xxx**

 _ **Faulcrum Tano:**_ **Oh no! Now you're gonna make me cry )): But thank you, for all the support you've given me throughout this story. It means a lot to me. And thank you for your vote! I'll count them in ((: I'll see you soon enough, and I hope you read whatever story I write next x**

 _ **Bob da builder:**_ **Thank you! I can't wait for you to read the epilogue! I'm glad you do ((: I poured my heart and soul into this story. Amazeballs is always a great term :D Goodbye, and I hope you read whatever story I write next (: Bob da builder is awesome :DD**

 ** _Guest:_ You'll see Percabeth in this chapter :D Thank you for reading it, and thank you for your kind words :3**

 ** _Guest:_ I'm sad too ))': But I'll be back soon enough. I love you too ((: xxx **

***Takes deep breath* Okay, one last time. Let's do this.**

 **Together, my family.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

 _*Four years later*_

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I smoothed my hands over my knee-length gray halter dress, clasping my hands together. A slight nervousness fluttered in my stomach, and I smiled to myself, touching a hand gently to my stomach. Hopefully it wasn't too noticeable.

 _Stop it,_ I chided myself. _I look fine._

Next to me, I felt Percy slip his arm around my waist, drawing me close. I turned to look up at him, watching his vibrant green eyes twinkle.

"And now, please welcome Mrs. Annabeth and Perseus Jackson!"

Percy smiled down at me. "That's your cue," he whispered.

"No," I said, reached to grab his hand. "That's _our_ cue."

Percy smirked, the gesture still having the effect to make a flush creep up my neck.

I inhaled briefly, facing the set, and with our hands locked together, we walked onto the stage.

We were greeted with the sight of camera lenses and phones flashing pictures, and Percy and I smiled and waved to the audience as they cheered and clapped, yelling out incoherent words.

Percy and I sat down on the white sofa on the set, Percy's arm automatically sliding around my waist.

The hostess of the show, Jocelyn Martinez, was sitting across from us in her own white sofa, a light gray small table between us. The woman was in her early thirties, with brown hair piled on top of her head into a bun. Her espresso brown eyes were shining with excitement, a little crazily, as if she had had one too many cups of coffee before the show. She was smiling so widely, I thought her face might crack in two.

Percy must've been thinking the same thing, since a smile of amusement played on his lips as he studied her.

"How have you two been?" Jocelyn asked, setting her cards on the table to straighten them out.

"Very good, thank you," I replied politely, clasping my hands in my lap.

"Well," she said, sitting back in her sofa to continue to smile at us. "We here at _Good Afternoon New York_ are very excited to have you both here."

"Thank you for having us," I said, reaching over to grab Percy's free hand. Jocelyn's bright eyes followed the movement, her smile seeming to get wider.

"Everyone seems to be talking about you two getting married," she said lightly, crossing her legs. She raised an eyebrow at us, smile still intact. "How did you two meet?"

"Well," Percy started, clearing his throat. He snuck a look at me, and I cracked a smile. Many people had been asking us the same question, and luckily, we formed the perfect answer. "While Annnabeth was on her break from modeling, Athena had gotten a call from my father saying that they needed to discuss some things about a new project for my father's company. Annabeth had went along with Athena to the meeting, and I had attended as well. While Athena and Poseidon talked, that had left Annabeth and I together. We hated each other at first, but as time went on and Athena and Poseidon kept meeting, we found ourselves falling in love."

Jocelyn and the audience all "awwed," and Percy grinned down at me, leaning over to give me a kiss on the lips. I smiled against his lips, rolling my eyes internally. He was loving this, the bastard. And the audience as well, seemed to eat the answer right up.

"Aren't you two adorable," Jocelyn cooed when we pulled apart. "You got engaged that same year?"

"Yes," I said, smiling at the memory. "We got engaged four months after meeting. Percy had proposed while we were having dinner at a restaurant."

A picture suddenly showed up on the screen on the wall, taken by paparazzi, displaying Percy on one knee, gazing up at me lovingly as he held out the box before him. You could clearly see the tears in my eyes as my hand covered my mouth, in pure shock.

Percy smiled down at me, pressing his lips to my temple.

"You seemed to be suprised," Jocelyn pointed out, turning to smile at me.

"I was," I answered sincerely. I had no idea Percy would propose so soon, and I had not been thinking about getting married. The memory replayed in my mind, ever so vivid and clear.

 _*Flashback*_

 _The waitress arrived to our table and set down our dinner, smiling politely before leaving._

 _Percy took a deep breath of his food and smiled at me. "This smells good."_

 _I rolled my eyes, my lips twitching. "What were you expecting it to smell like?"_

 _He knit his eyebrows, peering at me. "Like food?"_

 _I sighed in exasperation and threw my napkin at him. "You're an idiot."_

 _He laughed and picked up his glass of wine, raising it to mine. He stared at me, his eyes twinkling. "You love this idiot."_

 _A smile melted across my lips, and I raised my glass of wine to his, clinking them together. "Yes," I said, my voice inexplicably soft. "I do."_

 _Percy smiled, shooting me a wink._

 _We ate in peace for the rest of the dinner, laughing and talking. It felt like such a relief to finally be able to laugh freely, not caring who was watching or planning to kill us._

 _Towards the end of the dinner, Percy accidentally dropped his fork to the floor. He made a face, emitting a laugh from me._

 _"I'll be right back," he announced, ducking under the table._

 _I cracked a grin. "I'll be waiting."_

 _I continue to finish up my dinner, eating to my heart's content._

 _Suddenly, I heard a collective gasp around me, coming from the couples at the other tables._

 _I felt confusion fill me as I scanned the room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. That was, until I saw the man kneeling next to me._

 _Percy gazed up at me, a smile lighting up his gorgeous face, his green eyes bright with warmth and uncertainty._

 _And in his hands, he was opening up a small cubed box, a silver ring with a diamond in the shape of a heart sitting in the middle of it._

 _I breathed in sharply, my hand flying up to my mouth, my throat constricting._

 _"Annabeth," Percy started, not breaking eye contact. "I know we've only known each other for a couple of months, and that this might be too soon, but I feel like I've known you my entire life. You've been the one thing that's kept me sane, that's helped me learn how to love again. You've been the light to my days every time I get a single glance of you. You've saved me more than anyone ever could. You've taught me how to be happy, and how to appreciate what I have at the moment. I love you, and I want to spend every single day of my life with you. So, Miss Chase, will you marry me?"_

 _I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked through teared-filled eyes. This man wanted to marry me. He wanted to be with me for the rest of his life. Everything we've been through, a whole adventure, and here he was, opening up a whole new one._

 _"Yes," I whispered, smiling down at him, my eyes blurry with tears as they fell down my cheeks. "I'll marry you, Perseus Jackson."_

 _*End of Flashback*_

"It was a beautiful ring," Jocelyn said, smiling at us both. "Gorgeous wedding as well."

More images flashed on the screen, of Percy and I's wedding. The one of Percy sliding the ring onto my finger was displayed briefly, and I felt my chest constrict at our flushed cheeks and happy smiles. Another one showed, this one of Percy and I having our kiss.

One picture showed all of us after the wedding, Hazel, Piper, Reyna, Thalia and Katie making beautiful bridesmaids in their silver gowns as they stood around me. Another one showed the men, surrounding Percy, their arms around each other's shoulders.

Percy squeezed my hand, warmth filling me inside.

"And you two seemed to have been busy as well," Jocelyn said, giving us a wry smile and a wink. "You had twins and a baby boy!"

My cheeks flushed, and Percy grinned. A picture flashed on the screen, a picture taken by paparazzi as Percy and I walked down the street. I held the hand of one of my daughters, Sienna, steadying her as she lost her balance as she walked. Percy carried the other twin, Vivian, in his arms. Vivian was laughing, her cheeks flushed and blue-gray eyes bright. Percy's other hand held the handle of a stroller, our son Caleb currently blowing a raspberry to the camera.

"They're adorable," Jocelyn commented, smiling at the picture. "How old are they?"

"Vivian and Sienna are both two years old," I said proudly, my heart warming at the thought of the two. "And Caleb just turned a year old."

"You two should be very proud," Jocelyn said as the picture changed to show an image of Vivian and Sienna posing in front of the camera, hands on their hips, with Caleb sitting between their feet, saliva dribbling down his chin.

Percy chuckled at the image, a laugh emitting from my lips.

"Like mother like daughters and son," Percy teased, poking me in the side. I rolled my eyes and smiled as the audience and Jocelyn laughed.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically, shrugging. "It's not my fault they seem to love the camera too."

Percy laughed as Jocelyn grinned at us. She raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Thinking about having any more?"

Percy looked down at me, his eyes dark with humor, a wicked smile on his face. "I'm not sure," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. "If Annabeth wants to have more sleepless nights, I'm down."

"Percy!" I hissed, smacking his arm. The audience cackled with glee and Jocelyn laughed.

"Whatever the case, your children are beautiful," Jocelyn said, her eyes bright.

"Thank you," I said, suddenly missing my little bundle of kids. They were currently at Jason and Piper's, along with Isabelle, who agreed to take care of them for Percy and I while we were at this interview.

"Now," Jocelyn said, switching some of her cards before glancing back up at me with a smile on her face. "Seems you've had an eventful year with your modeling career as well, Annabeth."

I sighed, smiling wearily. "I have, actually. Last year I finally got to go on that tour in Europe."

"And how was that for you?" Jocelyn inquired, eyes glinting with sincere curiosity.

"It was amazing," I said immediately. After everything that happened, with the wedding and the children, I'd had to wait another year to return to my career. Athena had handed the company over to me the same year. My Mother and I were closer than ever with each other now, and she adored her grandchildren. But now, I had to juggle with my modeling and architect career. I had talked things out with Melissa, and she was ecstatic to learn about my engagement with Percy that year, enough to forget all about our earlier problems. Two years later, she had managed to book me that European tour. Now, she watched me offset, a big grin on her face. I winked at her and turned back to Jocelyn. "Our whole family got to go on that trip, along with some of our friends. It was fun."

"And the modeling itself?"

"The places we did our shoots in were beautiful," I replied, smiling. "France, Greece, Spain- the places were gorgeous. And the modeling shows were stunning as well."

"I can tell," she said, gesturing to the screen. It showed pictures of shoots I'd had on the beaches of Greece, along with shoots on the Eiffel Tower itself, the beautiful city lights behind me and the other models. There were some others, one that had caught Piper and I off by surprise by some paparazzi. We had been splashing each other in the waves, and some paparazzi had crept up on us, the bright flash of the camera catching us off guard. In the picture, Piper's mouth was open mid-shriek, startling me so much it displayed me currently falling back into the water.

Next to me, Percy chuckled, the sound filling me with warmth and happiness.

"I'm glad you finally had the chance to go," Jocelyn said, smiling. "You seemed to have enjoyed it to its fullest."

"She didn't want to leave," Percy said, grinning. "I had to practically drag her onto the plane by her stiletto heels."

I made a face at him, the audience rippling with laughter.

"And you, Mr. Jackson, seem to have had a busy year as well," Jocelyn said, nodding at him. "I hear you've recently become the CEO to your father's company?"

Percy nodded, smiling. "It was about time I took over and he got a break. It's been great. A lot of new projects going on. More boats to sell, to gain, company buildings to build and open. It's pretty hectic right now."

"But you like it?" Jocelyn inquired, shifting in her seat and staring at Percy intently.

"Oh, for sure," Percy said, nodding, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes glinting. "I love every aspect of it. I get to talk and meet new people. I'm currently working on funding a program for those who need help with... criminality."

I squeezed Percy's hand. After getting out of the hospital, Percy seemed to have done a 180 on his personality and how he saw himself. He talked to his uncles and decided to end The Olympians. He had wanted nothing to do with it anymore. So much that he wanted to do something to help those who are stuck in problems that break the law, but are having a hard time turning their lives around.

 _"I don't want others to end up like I almost did,"_ he had said to me one night. _"Almost dead and losing everyone they care about."_

"Wow," Jocelyn said, blinking at him. "That sounds promising. Who is helping with this project?"

"My cousins Jason Grace, Thalia Grace, and Nico di Angelo," he replied, nodding his head. "They've been a big help."

Jocelyn smiled, "I'm sure they have been. And I'm sure you will continue to be very successful. Both of you. I wish you luck with whatever other adventures you will have before you."

Percy and I both thanked her, and soon, she was wrapping up the show. A few moments later, the lights went off and Jocelyn exhaled, grinning at us.

"Thank you both," she said, standing up as Percy and I did as well. "It's been a pleasure to have you. Great show."

Percy and I shook her hand before she went off to greet her audience.

Percy smiled down at me, leaning to plant a kiss on my forehead.

Melissa was suddenly scurrying towards us, gripping my arms, her eyes bright and smile wide. "Great job, Annie! You were awesome," she glanced at Percy, a flush creeping up her cheeks. I resisted an eye roll. Whether she found him intimidating or attractive, I wasn't sure, but it was peculiar to see her look so hesitant. "You as well, Percy."

"Thanks, Mel," Percy said, smiling at her.

"What are you two going to do now?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrow as someone spoke into her Blackberry earpiece.

"Percy and I were going to go to Piper and Jason's. The others will be there as well. You can come if you want," I explained as Percy's arm snaked around my shoulders.

"No, dumbass," she spoke into her earpiece, most likely having not heard anything I just said. "I said to book the shoot for next Saturday, not Sunday. No- no, _you_ listen to _me._ I fucking said what I said, but you're too busy sucking face with your girlfriend to hear anything I say. No- you know what? You're fired. End of conversation."

She pressed a button on the Blackberry, closing her eyes briefly as she clenched her jaw. Then she opened them again, inhaling slowly. "Sorry about that. Noah doesn't know or hear any shit I say. I'm so done with him. But anyway, I'll call you later, okay? Have fun... wherever you said you were going."

She gave me a quick hug and nodded at Percy before leaving, her yellow heels clicking across the floor as she argued with yet another person on her Blackberry.

"She's literally a replica of Thalia," Percy said, watching her with an amused smile. "No wonder they hit it off so well."

I shuddered at the memory of the two meeting. We had all gone out for dinner, and when they were introduced, they'd hated each other. They had argued throughout the whole dinner, and I was afraid they'd end up dumping food on one another, but once the waiter came and gave them the wrong desserts, Thalia and Melissa both took turns yelling the shit out of him. After that, they were practically best friends.

"Let's just go now," I said, suddenly tired. "We still have the whole day to spend with the others."

Percy grinned wickedly, reaching into his pocket to draw his keys. He winked at me. "That should be fun."

* * *

We soon arrived at Piper and Jason's Mediterranean-styled house, the afternoon sky contrasting nicely with the lights that lit up the house.

Percy and I got out of the car, walking up to the door hand in hand. Percy rang the doorbell, and a few seconds later, childish shrieks were heard outside the door, along with the sound of laughter.

The door swung open, and a grinning Piper greeted us, her two year old daughter Sofie in her arms. Sofie shared the same exotic skin color as Piper, along with silky mahogany hair. Her eyes were an electric blue, with light specks of brown in them. Sofie Silena Grace.

Jason and her had gotten married a few months after Percy and I did, and they were happier than ever. A year later, they'd had a son, Isaac, and after that, Sofie came along.

"Hey!" She said, stepping aside to let us in. "We watched the interview. You guys were great."

"Thanks, Pipes," Percy said, reaching to poke Sofie in the cheek. She frowned at him.

"No," Sofie said, tone clearly showing her irritation.

He laughed. "What's wrong with her?"

Piper sighed, closing the door. "Isaac wouldn't let her play with the rest of them."

"Uh oh," I said, swinging my purse on the table in the doorway. "Where are they, anyway?"

"They just ran by here," she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "They should be-"

She was interrupted by a loud shriek, followed by feet thumping against the floor.

"Mommy and Daddy are here!" I heard Sienna shout. I turned to see her running into the room, her black curls flying behind her. She crashed into me, throwing her arms around me.

"Hey there, princess," I said kneeling to hug her tight. "Did you miss me?"

She nodded, her gray eyes bright with happiness. "A lot."

"Where's Viv?" Percy asked her, tugging on a curl.

"Daddy!" Vivian screeched, running into the room as well. She and Sienna looked nothing alike. While Sienna had dark curly hair, blue-gray eyes and a tan complexion, Vivian had honey blonde, straight hair, and sea green eyes like Percy's, with an olive complexion. Percy grinned and knelt, holding his arms out as she flew into him.

"Hey, sweetie," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "How's it going?"

"Great," she answered slowly. "I missed you and Mommy."

"Oh, we weren't even gone that long," I said, readjusting the bow in Sienna's hair.

"It was forever!" Sienna said, holding out her arms for emphasis.

I laughed. "If you say so. Where's Caleb?"

"Isabelle has him," Piper said, setting Sofie on the floor on her feet. Sofie frowned again and crossed her arms, dropping to the floor on her bottom. Piper sighed in exasperation, kneeling in front of her daughter.

"Sofie," she said quietly, peering at her.

"No," the little girl replied firmly, her frown deepening. Piper rolled her eyes, glancing at Percy and I like, _what am I going to do with her?_

"How about I take you with Daddy?" Piper suggested, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure he'd love to hear you sing him a song."

Sofie's frown loosened up a bit, and she sighed. "Fine."

"Great," Piper said, scooping her up into her arms with a huff. "Come on everyone. The rest of the others in this big-ass family are in the dining room."

* * *

"Awww, there they are! Our sweet power couple!"

This was the first words we were greeted with when we entered the dining room.

And of course, Leo was the one who said them.

"Shut up, Leo," Percy said, pulling out a chair for me to sit down before he sat as well, Vivian in his arms.

"You guys were great," Jason said, smiling teasingly. "Percy seemed to have enjoyed himself."

"A little too much, if you ask me," I quipped, shooting him a look.

"Aw, come on, Wise Girl," he said. "You know I was just teasing you."

"Yeah," I said, giving him a stern look. "Now just watch what the public converts what you said into something worse on the tabloids."

"I'll bear with it," he said, leaning over to kiss me on the lips. Sienna and Vivian giggled at the sight.

"All I wanna know is when Annabeth here will book us a vacation spot again," Thalia said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Knowing Melissa, it won't be too long before she's shoving me onto another plane," I said, adjusting Sienna in my lap.

Reyna laughed, the gesture causing her to wince, bringing a hand up to her bloated stomach.

Leo was instantly jumping to his feet, eyes wide with panic and concern. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Reyna rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm. "Leo, I'm fine. Sit down," she said irritably, easing him back into his seat.

I cracked a smile. Reyna and Leo had _finally_ become boyfriend and girlfriend, and two years later, they married. Now, Reyna was eight months pregnant, in a fragile state, much to her dismay.

"Why do you have to keep it a surprise?" Thalia whined, crossing her arms. "I want to know what you're having already."

"Please, dear God, do not let it be a boy," I said, shaking my head. "I do _not_ want to see a miniature Leo running around trying to flirt with every girl he sees."

Leo grinned cheekily. "He'll be learning from the best."

Reyna shot him a look. "I wanna kick your ass so bad right now."

"And if it's a girl?" Nico shuddered, shaking his head adamantly. "I would like to live my life not seeing a three-year old girl punching anyone who makes her mad in the face, please and thank you."

Reyna raised an eyebrow at him. "And what about you, Nico? Where's Will right now?"

Nico turned beet red, clearing his throat. "Will's um, coming later."

I fought down a grin. Will and Nico were still taking things slow, now dating. But I had a feeling one of the two would drop the marriage bomb soon enough.

As for Thalia, she was planning on staying single for the rest of her life. "I don't need no fucking man," she would say whenever we brought it up, her eyes flashing. "Besides, I'm busy helping take care of the shitload of kids you all have. What better babysitter could you ask for?"

And whenever we did leave our children with Thalia, they'd come back to us with a variety of colorful words. More than once I'd reprimanded Sienna and Vivian for calling someone an asshat.

Suddenly, the door to the dining room opened, and Isabelle walked in with Caleb in her arms, cooing to him softly.

The now eleven year old girl glanced up and spotted Percy and I, her face lighting up. She hurried over to us, a wide smile on her face.

I blinked, still not believing that this was the girl that had lived most of her life locked up in a cellar. Now, she was full of light and happiness, smiling joyfully at everyone. She was now in sixth grade, close to turning twelve soon enough. We had all managed to catch her up to some simple things, and had gotten lucky enough to be accepted into school at the age of eight. She loved it, talking to me about everything she's learned and about her friends. She was dressed in denim shorts and a blue tank top, her chocolate hair pulled back in a ponytail, bangs swept across her forehead.

"Hey, Annabeth," she greeted, leaning over to hug and kiss me on the cheek.

"Hey there," I said, flicking her bangs with a finger. I nodded to little Caleb, who was babbling nonsense and drooling all over his rubber blue teether toy. "Was he any trouble?"

"Nope," she replied, kissing his cheek. "He was just fine."

"So, what? I don't get a hello?" Percy said, tugging on Isabelle's hair.

She scrunched her nose up at him. "No, because you pulled my hair."

Percy laughed and pulled her into an embrace, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin.

"Percy, no!" Isabelle giggled, pulling away from him. "You're ruining my hair!"

"I thought it was already like that," he taunted, a teasing smile on his lips.

Isabelle stuck her tongue out at him.

"Mama," Caleb gurgled, reaching a chubby arm out to me.

"Hi," I said, smiling at him and reaching a hand to tickle his stomach. He shrieked and wiggled in Isabelle's arms.

"Mommy," Vivian said, tugging on the hem of my dress. "Can we go play now?"

"Sure," I said, setting Sienna on the floor. I gave them a stern look. "Just be careful."

"Okay!" They said in unison. Then they raced out of the room.

"Isabelle?" Jason said, furrowing his eyebrows as he bounced a now content Sofie on his lap. "Where's Isaac?"

Isabelle frowned, glancing back at the door she had come through. "He had been following me earlier. I think he went back to his room to play with his toys or something-"

The door swung open, and the child in question walked through, his blue eyes bright as they glanced at everyone seated at the table. Isaac seemed like an exact replica of Jason, like the child version of him.

"Mommy," he said, frowning at Piper. "I'm hungry."

"Well, you'll have to wait," she said to him. "The food's not done yet."

"But _Mom,"_ he said, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes flashing. "I want to eat _now."_

"But _Isaac,"_ Piper mocked, crossing her arms and mimicking his stance. "You have to wait."

Isaac groaned, his shoulders slumping.

"Come here," Piper said, sitting down and patting her lap.

"No," Isaac said stubbornly. He looked at her defiantly. "I'll beat you up."

Immediately, we all raised our eyebrows and turned to stare at Thalia, who was cackling with laughter.

"What?" She said, still laughing. "Kid's gotta learn from _someone._ And who better than his Auntie Thalia?"

Piper sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Fine," she said to Isaac. "Have it your way." Then she turned and faced us, blatantly ignoring her son.

Percy laughed. "I don't think you're going to teach him anything that way."

Piper shrugged. Suddenly, there was a beep from the kitchen, and Piper's eyes widened. "Shit," she muttered loudly, shooting up from her chair and running to the kitchen.

"Watch your profanity!" Leo hollered after her, also rising up in his chair to go to the kitchen, but not before planting a kiss atop Reyna's head. She smiled and looked down at the table, shaking her head.

Nico sighed, rolling his eyes. "Piper burned our dinner. I knew we should've just ordered something."

Jason winced. "Piper's not the best when it comes to cooking."

"Besides," Thalia said, tapping her fingers on the table and scrunching up her nose. "She's gonna feed us some vegetarian-type shit."

"Thalia," Percy said sternly, glancing at Isabelle.

His sister shrugged. "I've spent enough time with this family to hear all the cuss words I need in a life time."

Thalia laughed, while Percy rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm certainly not eating any of that, even if Leo's helping her," Nico announced, rising from his chair. "I'm going to order some pizzas. Hopefully, when I come back in here, the kitchen and dining room aren't on fire."

Isabelle's lips twitched. "I'm going to play with Sienna and Viv," she said, reaching to hand Caleb over to me.

"All right," I said, adjusting the little boy in my lap. "Have fun."

She skipped over to Isaac, who was still frowning at the floor. She whispered some words to him, and a few moments later, he grinned at her and nodded. She grabbed his hand and led him out of the room.

"Damn," Jason said, raising his eyebrows. "Izzy sure has a talent with kids."

Percy smirked. "With the way you and Piper talk to your kids, I can only assume _anyone_ can get him in a good mood. Well, except you and Piper."

"Fuck off," Jason sighed. "Isaac and Sofie are enough of a handful. I don't know how you and Annabeth manage with _three."_

I felt a flutter in my stomach, and I swallowed. I glanced at Percy, who was smiling warmly at me. He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips, his touch still sending fire throughout my body.

Caleb laughed, apparently finding the affection hilarious.

I smiled down at him, stroking his black hair to the side. His sea green eyes shined up at me, happy and content. Caleb snuggled into my chest, letting his eyelids flutter shut. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, holding him close.

* * *

About an hour later, the food ended up being dumped into the trash, which was something Piper was none too happy about.

We ended up eating the pizza Nico had ordered, the food arriving around the same time Hazel, Frank, Travis, Katie, Will and their children did.

Hazel and Frank had a daughter Evelyn, a three year old girl with straight, cinnamon colored hair, and olive skin, with warm brown eyes that shone with sincerity and kindness.

Travis and Katie's little three year old boy Connor was a handful, with leaf green eyes filled with energy and curly brown hair.

We all spent the rest of the afternoon eating, talking and laughing, while the kids filled the house with shrieks and laughter, the sound of little feet running everywhere.

I watched this big, happy family, all so carefree and peaceful. There was no ounce of fear, tension, or sadness in the room. Hopefully those feelings would never come back.

We had all moved outside, where Piper and Jason had a pool that practically took up half of the space of the courtyard. I smiled to myself. I had been the one who designed this house for Piper and Jason, adding any special editions they desired. They had both been ecstatic when I'd finished up with it, and never before had I felt so proud about a house. The others had asked me to design their houses as well, ranging from completely different styles. I'd been more than happy to help.

The old HQ houses had been disposed of any weapons, or evidence that there'd once been an underground floor to the meeting, training, monitor, or weapons rooms. We'd sealed up everything to prevent anyone from finding them, and then once we were certain there was no evidence of harmful materials, we'd put up all the house for sale. They'd been bought by happy families, and I could only hope they stayed that way. Happy.

Now, the kids ran around outside, playing with each other, squeals and shrieks of delight filling the warm June air.

Caleb waddled over to me, his lip quivering. He suddenly sat down at my feet with a huff and let out a loud wail.

Percy was instantly there, sweeping him up into his arms. "Hey," he said softly, his eyes narrowed with concern. "What's wrong?"

I stood up, placing a hand on Percy's arm, my heart fluttering with warmth at the sight of him being so solicitous.

"I think he's tired," I said, stroking Caleb's hair. "I'll try to get him to sleep."

Percy nodded and handed the small boy into my arms. He kissed my forehead. "I'll be with you later," he said softly, eyes staring into mine.

I smiled at him, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. "I'll be upstairs."

* * *

I gently rocked Caleb in my arms, humming quietly.

Already the moon was shining through the windows, the silvery light streaming through the glass doors. I stepped out onto the balcony, a warm breeze rushing past me. I breathed in the air, shutting my eyes, hearing the sounds of laughter and people talking below me.

Caleb stirred in my arms, letting out a small whimper.

"Shh..." I said softly, bending to kiss his small forehead. I watched his face comfort into a frown, before relaxing into a peaceful dream.

"I have nightmares too," I whispered, still rocking him. "Maybe one day you'll find out what they were about."

Some nights I woke up drenched in sweat, my breathing ragged. I would dream of Percy getting shot- this time not being able to make it to the hospital. I would dream of Luke, keeping me locked up in his apartment forever, coming back to taunt and abuse me. I would dream of myself stepping out of the room I use to be in when I was at HQ, only to find myself back in the warehouse, the bodies of everyone I cared about strewn all over the floor.

I swallowed hard, the memories still haunting my dreams. Luke had died. I had shot the right man. Right in the chest. Yet still, when I was on the streets, I'd look up and freeze in my spot because I mistook whoever I saw for Luke.

My father had unfortunately, not been killed. The Olympians had thrown him into a prison that they owned. He never had a trial. He never got the chance to talked to any officials. He was secluded from any other inmates, in his own private cell. He didn't deserve a quick and easy shot to the chest- he deserved a slow and painstaking death.

As for Rachel and Jordan, they were currently in the prison Frederick was in. But unlike him, they would be let out eventually.

Percy was a comfort. If I had nightmares, he'd be right next to me in bed, holding me until I fell asleep, murmuring comforting words. He would not fall asleep until I did, and even then, I was sure he would stay awake until he was sure I was sleeping peacefully. While I'd been pregnant, he'd be there at a moment's notice, bringing me food and attending my every need.

My children were help as well. It seemed as if they almost sensed my pain and sorrow at times, even when I tried to hide it. Sienna and Vivian crowded me with hugs and held me tight. Even little Caleb, blowing raspberries at me and giggling for no reason to crack a smile out of me.

We had gave Bianca, Silena and Beckendorf proper funerals, along with some other members that had died, full of tears and despair. Piper had talked to her mom there, along with her father. Right then, they seemed to be closer than ever. Now I wondered what story Piper and Aphrodite had made up for Silena's death to Tristan, and the thought brought on an inexplicable sadness inside me.

The Olympians were gone. A simple name forgotten in the wind.

The others had completely turned their lives around. Percy, Jason, Thalia and Nico were busy running Olympus Enterprises. Leo and Reyna had opened up their own Mexican restaurant, _En Llamas,_ meaning "on fire" in English. Figures.

Piper kept Silena's boutique running, keeping her sister's dream alive. She even added her own Piper-flair to the place, adding her special touches that attracted even more people. Soon enough, she had a chain of the buildings scattered throughout the East Coast.

Now, looking down at the courtyard and watching as Piper and Sofie sang together, their voices clear and loud and beautiful, with the others smiling and laughing, Percy holding both Sienna and Vivian in his arms and kissing them on the cheek, I felt a strong warmth wash over me. I couldn't believe my life had turned around in just a matter of time. I'd gone from living a career and a life without love and full of isolation and seclusion, to meeting so many people and being in constant danger, slowly learning to return the love others gave to me, to finally living a life of peace and comfort, expanding the little love I had felt for the world enough for it to hurt in a good way.

I thought of Percy, once full of rage and bitterness, expressing hatred to all who dared crossed him, now passionate and kind and sweet. His anger issues had calm down since the incident with Frederick and Luke, slowly learning to be more patient and content. When Sienna and Vivian had been born, it seemed to have opened up his eyes to see how beautiful every moment of his life was. I'd never seen him act so gentle and sweet before, cooing softly to the twins as he rocked them in both arms, kissing their faces and even falling asleep with them. It warmed my heart to see him like this, reminding me all over again the reason I fell in love with him.

I'd seen the kindness in him, where no one else could. Percy was the most passionate man I'd ever met, loving and caring for people when he never realized it. They way he showed his love was beautiful, doing it through his emotions and actions. I had loved him the second I'd stared into his sea green eyes, before I had passed out after our encounter. I had been too stubborn to realize it, but being torn from him so suddenly had done something to me. It made me see how much I needed him, how strong he made me. Just a simple glance from him made me feel braver than I had ever felt before. Where everyone saw me as a woman who was weak and scared, Percy saw me as a woman who could be powerful and steady- I just needed a push to see that myself.

I had thought my life was ruined forever after what had happened with Luke, but Percy helped me see there was so much more to that. I could turn my life around. I could care for people, no matter the pain I had to go through.

But that was just it. Love wasn't something easy. Love wasn't a word you just threw around for the fun of it. "I love you," weren't words you told someone after dating them for only two days with no clue whatsoever about them. No. Love was as hard as trying to do something difficult for the first time. It required time, patience, and emotional strength and will. In order to love, you had to be strong and ready to face anything. Because when you love someone, you don't know what might happen. You can't plan in order to love.

I guess that's why it was so hard for me. I _wanted_ to be able to plan for that. I _wanted_ to have everything planned through. But I couldn't, because love is something unpredictable and dangerous. Percy helped me see that. Without him, I would have had my back turned on love for the rest of my life, too stubborn and prideful to try again.

So I guess I was thankful that I stumbled into that alley, even though I had to go through a whirlwind of painful and awful emotions, terror finding me at every step. Frederick had made that happen to kill me, but all he did was end up saving me. Everything happens for a reason, you just had to figure out what it was for. If it hurt you that much, you had to find out why.

But if my children ever ask how I met Percy, I will have to switch the story around. Quite a lot.

Maybe someday I'll forgive them all. After all, everyone might encounter something, or _someone,_ that will help them see the good in everything they once thought was horrible again.

But right now, I was focused on loving hard enough that it hurt. Replacing all that bitterness and hatred I had for the feeling with itself. After all, love was made to get you through life, no matter if it killed you. Because I believed that love was the most powerful emotion of all.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Percy asked softly, suddenly next to me.

I jumped, slightly startled. "Percy," I said, my voice oddly monotone. "You scared me."

"Hey," he said, furrowing his eyebrows and capturing my chin between his fingers to make me face him. He swept a finger across my cheek, and only then did I realize that I had been crying. "What's wrong?"

I let out a shaky breath, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. I needed to calm down. "I was just... thinking."

"About what?" Percy asked warily, sea green eyes flashing blue under the moonlight.

I shook my head. "Where are the girls?"

Percy sighed. "They fell asleep. I set them down right over there," he said, turning and jutting his chin out towards the sofa. Vivian and Sienna were curled up next to each other, breathing in sync, a pink blanket draped over them. My heart warmed at the sight. Percy nodded down at Caleb, a soft smile on his lips. "Looks like he's out too."

I glanced down at him, smiling. Drool dribbled down his chin, and I scrunched up my nose. "Looks like he also got your quality of drooling in his sleep too."

Percy's lip curled, and he poked my stomach.

"Don't," I said suddenly, grabbing his hand and wincing. "Not there."

His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "What? Why? What's wrong?"

I bit my lip and turned to walk back into the room, setting Caleb down onto the white sofa, wrapping him up in blankets. I kissed his head before, stroking Sienna and Viv's hair before kissing their heads as well. I watched them for a little, pride swelling in my chest for my beautiful children. I didn't know what I'd do without them, my bundles of joy. Smiling at them one last time, I turned and walked next to Percy on the balcony, who was staring out into the courtyard, a thoughtful look on his face.

"How are your parents?" I asked softly, looking up at the silvery moon.

A smile ghosted his lips. "They're good. They're having a lot of fun over there."

Sally and Poseidon were currently on vacation in the Caribbean, wanting a break from the bustle of New York.

After getting out of the hospital, Poseidon spent a lot more time around him. They talked things out, and soon, I'd find Percy on the phone with his father, laughing and talking.

It made me happy to see him like that, so carefree and untroubled. I had never seen him like that for such a long period of time.

"Annabeth," Percy said, his voice stern and troubled. I turned to see him staring at me, his expression serious. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

I held his gaze for a moment before glancing down at the pool, the lights reflecting off of the water.

"I just..." I sighed, shaking my head. "I can't believe that this is our life now. Everything that happened in the past... it feels like just a nightmare that seemed to taunt us for a long time. Now, we're so happy and peaceful. I don't want anything to mess that up."

"Hey," Percy said, slipping a finger under my chin to make my eyes flicker over to him. He stared into my eyes, his sea green orbs dark and careful. "Nothing is going to happen to us. We're safe now, Annabeth. It's been four years. If anything, and I mean anything happens that dares to mess with our lives, I will do everything I can to get rid of it."

"And that includes murder?" I asked softly.

His eyes flashed. "If that's what it takes."

I swallowed and pressed myself against him, wrapping my arms around him. His strong arms slid around me, holding me close.

"I just get so scared sometimes," I whispered. "All those memories come rushing back, and it's just too much. I try to forget, but I can't. I just can't."

Percy tipped my head up with a finger, pressing his lips to mine. I melted into him, heat spreading through my body and down deep into my stomach. This man still had the ability to make me turn to putty in his arms, to make me weak in the knees with just one smirk or smile. And I would never get tired of it.

He pulled back, his breathing ragged. He stared at me, gaze meaningful. "I know you have a hard time with that," he said softly, stroking my face. "But you've got to know that that's going to stay with you forever. Those events- as horrible as they were, changed you. Without them, we would have never met. You would have never realized how strong you really are. We would have never realized the importance of love. Of _our_ love."

His eyes narrowed, glinting with that dangerous light he'd hidden over the years, now back with fire. "And if anyone even _tries_ to mess that up, so help me, I will kill them. I will protect my family for the rest of my life. It will be us five for the rest of our lives."

I let my eyelids flutter shut, my heart thumping. "Actually," I whispered, still not opening my eyes. "Make that six."

There was a moment of silence, the only sound filling the air being the others as they shouted at each other and laughed.

I peeked through my eyelids to see Percy's ashen face, mouth gaping open. " _What?"_ He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I swallowed and nodded, smiling nervously. "I'm pregnant, Percy. Again."

Percy's mouth opened and closed, clearly wanting to say something but no words coming to mind.

"Seaweed Brain," I tittered. "Say something."

Finally, a smile curled his lips, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"This... this is amazing!" He breathed, picking me up in his arms and twirling me around. I laughed, and he set me down, his grin still intact.

"How long?" He asked, glancing at my stomach and back up to my face.

"About three weeks," I replied, smiling at him.

"Oh my God," he said, eyes bright. Slowly, he knelt in front of me and brought his hands up to my stomach, gently placing them there. He gave my stomach a kiss, glancing up to meet my eyes.

His gaze was so intense, it made my cheeks slowly heat up.

Percy stood up, his expression one of wonder and adoration. "Holy fuck," he muttered, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me to him. "I love you so much."

I laughed softly, bringing a hand up to caress his face. "I love you too."

Percy kissed me, soft and lingering. His eyes burned into mine when he pulled back. "And dear God," he whispered, shaking his head softly. "I will love you until the day I die. And as long as the sun rises and the stars shine, I will love you then."

My breath caught in my throat, and I gave him a smile, my heart beating hard in my chest. "And even when that all ends, I will love you then."

Percy smiled at me, the gesture warm and full of affection. He brought his lips down to mine, this kiss full of passion and exactly that- love.

And that was all I've ever needed, what _we've_ ever needed. As long as we both had that powerful emotion inside us, keeping us together for as long as we lived, I knew we would be okay. Whatever adventures lay ahead of us, we would get through them. Percy and my children and I, all together. Everything would be okay.

All because of love.

* * *

 **You guys, I'm gonna cry. Like for real. This was it. This was the end.**

 **And I really, really hope you all liked it.**

 **You guys... this was the most amazing adventure I've ever been on. And I have all you to thank. Thank you all so much. You guys are my inspiration and reason I'm always so excited to update. I still remember the time I'd read that one fanfic that triggered all this. I'd been so excited to write my own. I made my account and everything, but I'd had trouble learning how to exactly write my first chapter on here. So I bought myself a notebook and literally began to write a couple chapters. Thank God I learned what the copy and paste thing is for.**

 **You all... Oh my fucking gods Im getting emotional. I love you all so so much. You were all so supportive and amazing and sweet. I never thought I'd ever get this far, but here I am, wrapping up my first lengthy fanfic ever. It was all thanks to you guys that I kept going. I swear to God, i thought no one would ever read this, but here we are, with more than 200 followers and favorites, and about to reach 800 reviews. Just... wow, I can't believe it. I'm going to cry, I really am. I poured my heart and soul into this story, and it is my pride and joy. I can't believe we made it. I couldn't have done it without you all.**

 **As for where I'm going next, I'm definitely going to write another story. I haven't decided which one yet, and when I come back in early April of this year, you will all find out which story I decided to go with. I can only hope that you will all be on that journey with me as well. I will be back, just hang in there tight. I will be here on Fanfiction Net still, so if any of you ever just want to talk, feel free to PM me. I will answer. I might write some one-shots in my free time, so stay tuned for those. In the meantime, I'll be going back to edit this story, cause I'm literally cringing at how many mistakes I'm finding. Oh well.**

 **I really, really hope you guys liked this Epilogue of Sworn Off Love, and I can only hope you all learned how important and powerful love really is.**

 **I love you guys, and I will see you all soon. *Breaks down sobbing***

 **~Kat xxxxx**


	51. Christmas of Chaos: SOL edition

**AGAHAHAHAHAHHAH HIII EVERYONNEEE! ARE Y'ALL SURPRISED? SHOOK? I am literally so excited to share this one-shot with you guys. I've had the idea of making a one-shot taking place after my Sworn Off Love story, and I am so happy to be sharing it with you all. I know you guys loved that story as much as I did, so I said, "Hm, why not make a one-shot?" I thought it'd be perfect to set it around Christmas! (I know its over now pls dont attack me) Agh, I'm so excited. I love you all so much, and I thank you for your support, so here's my (late) Christmas gift to you all xxx**

 **ALSO! I want to give a hUgE shout-out to my dear friend Anna (SeaGreen101) Girl- I fucking love you and you know you rock my world, and I thank you for helping me gather ideas to write this! We make a bomb-ass team :D LOVE YOU!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

"Okay, Annabeth, just move- walk over here a little more... yeah, right there, perfect."

Annabeth did as she was told, moving accordingly to the director's instructions. She placed a hand on her hip, moving her head in a leisure manner as she locked eyes with the different cameras surrounding her, giving a coy smile that the lights captured on perfectly, giving her face an almost angelic glow.

" _Perfect,"_ Mike, the director of the commercial she was starring in said. "All right, Annabeth, that's pretty much it. Now we'll just need to piece it all together and the commercial will be done."

Annabeth let out a breath, running a hand through her hair and giving a weary smile. "Excellent."

Mike hollered at the other cameramen, telling them to cut, and Annabeth let out a grin as Melissa hustled over to her, a bright smile on her lips.

"Great job, Annie," she said, squeezing Annabeth's arms, Caribbean eyes sparkling. "The payment you're getting from this should be enough to buy Sienna and Vivian their own cars."

Annabeth snorted, rolling her eyes. "If you say so." She winced, reaching down to pluck off her black stiletto heels. "Jesus, these are killing me. I'm going to go change- it's freezing in here."

Melissa whistled sharply, snapping her fingers and pointing at Annabeth. In about three seconds, one of Melissa's assistants rushed over with a silky white robe, placing it over Annabeth.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, giving the young woman a smile, who nodded in return. "Melissa-what time is it?"

"Four-thirty," Melissa responded in return, tapping away on her phone.

"I better get home," Annabeth said, biting her lip, and wincing slightly as she shifted her weight. Being in those heels since nine in the morning really did a number on her. "We still need to get ready to go to Piper and Jason's."

"They're hosting the Christmas party there?" Melissa questioned, frowning as down at her phone as she continued to text someone.

Annabeth grimaced. "Yeah. And given the fact that I'm tired enough as it is, I can't even begin to imagine how exhausted I'll be after spending time with those crazy-ass people I call family."

Melissa suddenly snorted, raising an eyebrow at Annabeth. "At least Percy's helping out with the little heathens you call children, right?"

Annabeth laughed slightly, crinkling an eye. "Sure. Let's go with that."

Melissa patted Annabeth's arm. "You'll survive, Annie. Now go change. I'll meet you in the car."

* * *

Annabeth packed her stuff in her bag, feeling exhaustion wash over her in a way that made her grimace and curse the producers for making the shooting of the commercial on Christmas Eve.

"Fantastic," she muttered, exiting the dressing room, glad to have changed out of the uncomfortable lingerie they'd made her wear. _Percy will be pissed if he ever watches the commercial,_ Annabeth thought with a smirk.

Annabeth waved goodbye to her co-workers as she walked out the building, flashing a smile to some of the other models that had been on set along with her.

She shivered as she stepped outside, the cold New York air kissing her cheeks, the bitter atmosphere turning her breath into white puffs of smoke.

The loud honk of a car horn pierced the air, and she rolled her eyes as she spotted Melissa parking at the curb, waving her over as if in a hurry.

Annabeth walked to the car, swinging herself inside as quickly as possible to get away from the chill.

"That was completely unnecessary," Annabeth quipped, setting her bag on the floor and scowling at Melissa.

"Oh yes it was," Melissa replied, sending Annabeth a cheeky grin.

"You know, you can be a real bitch to deal with sometim-" the sound of her phone ringing fluidly cut her off, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the name flashing across the screen.

"Hey," she said, pressing the phone to her cheek, leaning back against the seat and allowing the warmth of the car to spread across her skin.

"Hey, princess," Percy replied, that charm that still made her so pleasantly uneasy present in his voice. "How was it?"

"Exhausting," Annabeth answered, sighing and placing a hand on her forehead. "I'm so tired right now."

"When you get home you can rest for a bit," Percy said, "I already drew you a nice hot bath."

"That sounds so nice right now," Annabeth said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, gorgeous," Percy said warmly, his words gripping her heart and making it throb. "Listen, are you on your way back?"

"Yeah," Annabeth replied, and she raised an eyebrow as the sound of a crash and a loud wail was heard in the background. "Percy? Is everything all right?"

"Uh, yeah," Percy said, and she heard him mutter something, followed by an excited shriek.

"Percy," Annabeth said, voice stern. "Are the girls okay? How's Caleb? Did the girls already shower? Did you remember to put the baby to sleep? Percy, did you-"

"Woah, Wise Girl, calm down," Percy soothed. "Everything's fine. Trust me. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"Perseus, if I come home and the house is a disaster, I will literally kill the shit out of you," Annabeth snapped.

"That will not be needed," Percy said, laughing. She heard another rustle of noises in the back, followed by an angry cry. "But, the sooner you come home, the better for all of us and me not ending up dead, okay?

"Percy, fuck you. I'm almost home."

"Trouble in paradise?" Melissa teased, a grin dancing on her lips as Annabeth hung up with a sigh.

"Shut up and keep driving."

* * *

To Annabeth's chagrin and exasperation, she did indeed find the house in chaos.

The second she stepped inside the modern-styled mansion, she was hit with the sound of multiple wails and shrieks and the sounds of the dogs barking left and right.

She sighed, watching as Percy ran across the entrance, hair in a disarray and expression full of panic and exhaustion.

"Sienna!" He called out, carrying Vivian in one arm. "Come back, baby! I didn't mean to upset you! Come here."

Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack barked at his feet, tails wagging and tongues lolling out of their mouths. They saw all of this as some sort of fun game.

Upstairs, Annabeth could her Caleb crying, along with the whines of their eight month old baby.

Percy seemed to finally realize that Annabeth was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and eyebrow raised as she stared at him.

"Baby," he breathed hopelessly. "Help me, please?"

Annabeth sighed, kicking herself off the door and walking over to him to grab Vivian out of his arms, who shrieked in happiness at the sight of her mother, clinging to her neck.

"Mrs. O'Leary and Blackjack," she said sternly, pointing a finger at them. "Quiet."

The dogs immediately sat down, tails continuing to wag and watching her with keen, bright eyes.

"Where's Sienna?" She asked, looking around the house.

Percy ran a hand through his hair, looking pained. "She locked herself in the bathroom. I'd scolded her for pulling Vivian's hair while they were playing and she ran off."

Annabeth pursed her lips and walked in the direction of the bathroom, gently rapping her knuckles against the white door.

"Sienna?" Annabeth said, voice gentle and warm. "Mommy's home, baby. Come out, please? I want to see your face."

There was a pause for about three seconds, and the door swung open, revealing Sienna dressed in a red, sparkling dress, gray eyes red and puffy.

Annabeth knelt, still holding on to Vivian. "What's wrong, princess?"

Sienna sniffled, a sob escaping her lips. "Da-daddy yelled a-at me."

"Well Sienna," Annabeth said, reaching out to stroke the girl's face. "You're not supposed to pull your sister's hair. That hurts, sweetie. Don't do it again, okay?"

Sienna nodded, lip quivering as she looked at her twin. "I'm sorry, Vivi."

Vivian smiled brightly, reaching out a hand towards Sienna. "It's okay!"

Percy walked up behind Annabeth, kneeling next to her and giving Sienna an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, princess," he said warmly. "Will you forgive me?"

Sienna stared at her father, and in a quick second she was splaying her arms out and grinning widely. "Yes!"

"That's my girl," Percy muttered, reaching out to pull Sienna into his chest and give her a kiss on the cheek, eliciting a shriek from the little girl.

Annabeth smiled, only to hear the sound of wails coming from upstairs. She sighed, standing up, Percy following after her.

"I'll go deal with that," she said, handing Vivian over to Percy, who latched her arms around his neck tightly. "You keep the girls entertained."

"Got it," Percy replied, leaning over to give Annabeth a kiss on the lips, smiling crookedly. "And hey, by the way."

"Hi," Annabeth said, smiling back.

The girls both covered their eyes and giggled, and Percy mock-scowled at them both. "What's so funny?"

"You and Mommy kissed!" Vivian said gleefully, shaking her head, and Annabeth wondered how they weren't used to her and Percy's displays of affection yet, since they did it more often than they should.

"Yeah?" Percy said, grinning. "Have _you_ given Mommy a kiss?"

Vivian pouted. "No. I'm sorry, Mommy."

"It's all right," Annabeth said, stepping forward and tapping both cheeks. "You both can give me a kiss."

The girls giggled, planting sloppy kisses on both her cheeks, and Annabeth laughed. "Mm, I love those kisses!"

"Bet you love mine more," Percy murmured, capturing her lips with his once again, and Annabeth forced herself away, laughing.

"No more kisses from you," Annabeth said, scowling at him.

Percy opened his mouth to protest, when another cry sounded from upstairs, and Annabeth quickly walked to the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"He's in the toy room!" Percy yelled after her.

"Thank you!" Annabeth shouted in reply.

She quickly walked down the hall, the sound of the cries getting louder each coming second.

"Caleb?" She called out, finally entering a room with bright colors surrounding every wall.

Her one year old son sat wailing on the floor, sobbing in a way that made Annabeth's heart break. She hated seeing her children cry.

"Hey, baby," she murmured, bending to scoop him up into her arms, wiping away his tears and kissing his forehead. "It's Mommy. Don't cry, honey... Shh..."

His little chest shook with his broken little gasps, and soon his tears stopped flowing, leaving his face red and puffy and green eyes clear. He clung his arms around her, pressing his face into her shoulder.

"There, there," Annabeth said quietly, rubbing his back and running her fingers through his black hair. "Better?"

She felt him nod against her shoulder.

Annabeth smiled, pressing a kiss to his head. "Good. You wanna take a nap? Are you hungry?"

"Sleep," came his muffled reply.

"All right, let's go," Annabeth said, carrying him into his room down the hall, right next to her and Percy's room.

The walls of his room were painted in light green and blue, having learned that the soft colors soothed him the most.

She placed him on the twin sized bed carefully, reaching for a blanket draped across the foot of his bed and covering his little body.

"Sleep for a bit, okay?" Annabeth said, stroking his hair back. "Because soon we're going to Aunt Piper and Uncle Jason's house, all right?"

Caleb let out a little, tired sigh, his eyes fluttering shut. "Okay, Mommy."

Annabeth smiled, her heart warming uncontrollably at the sight of him falling asleep. With one last stroke of his hair, she walked out of his room and into her own, feeling weariness weigh down on her bones like weights.

A light gray crib was nestled in a corner of the room, and she padded over quietly to it, the sight of her eight month old baby, Livia, fast asleep, making her smile tiredly.

She suddenly felt arms snake around her waist in a practiced manner, a familiar hard chest pressing against her back.

Annabeth leaned against Percy, who nuzzled his face against her neck, planting a kiss on her skin, emitting a quiet sigh from her.

"Where are the girls?" She murmured.

Percy kissed her temple. "Watching Finding Nemo downstairs."

Annabeth snorted. "Again?"

"That movie never gets old, Wise Girl."

Annabeth sighed, rolling her eyes and smiling. "Sure."

Percy turned her around, concern etched over his face, green eyes dark with worry. "Are you okay, Annabeth?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm fine. Just tired."

Percy stroked her face, tipping her face up to meet his piercing gaze. "You need to go rest. I can handle it from here."

Annabeth ran a finger through his hair, pressing her lips to his. "I love you," she murmured against his lips, which still tasted of salt.

Percy nipped at her bottom lip, and she could taste the smirk on his lips when she gasped. "I love you too, darling."

Annabeth trailed a finger along his jaw, feeling the rough stubble underneath her fingertips, smiling as she pulled back. "You need to shave."

"And _you_ need to rest," Percy said, kissing her forehead, eyes turning soft. "Go."

"Okay, okay," Annabeth mumbled, pulling back from Percy's hold. She walked to her closet, calling over her shoulder as she went, "Caleb is asleep in his room. Make sure to wake him up when I'm done showering to get him ready, and check up on the girls once in a while. If Livvy starts crying, give her her bottle."

"Got it!" Percy shouted behind her, followed by a sigh and an audible " _fuck."_

Annabeth laughed, grabbing some underwear and a bra and her gray robe, walking out of the closet and heading to their bathroom, which already had the water running for her, steam clouding up the room. "I love you."

Percy smiled lopsidedly, winking at her. "Love you too, princess. And take your time. Relax. If you walk out of there in less than thirty minutes, I'm locking you in the bathroom."

Annabeth waved a hand, grinning. "I make no promises."

* * *

Annabeth walked out of the bathroom thirty-five minutes later.

Percy lay on the bed, watching some show on the TV hung over the fireplace in their room, and the second he spotted her, his eyes narrowed.

"No way," he said, sitting up. "Get back in there."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, grinning. "You said thirty minutes. I spent thirty- _five_ minutes in there. Therefore, I am allowed to leave the bathroom now."

Percy sighed, sinking back onto the bed and running a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I hate how smart you are."

Annabeth laughed, stepping in front of her vanity table and shaking out the towel she'd wrapped around her head, flinging it at Percy. "Quit crying. Now go change. The sooner we leave, the better."

"My god, love, how do you still have enough energy to boss me around? I feel like one of the kids now," Percy groaned, lifting himself off the bed and crossing over to the closet.

"Well maybe if you didn't act like such a kid, I wouldn't have to boss you around so much," Annabeth said sweetly, brushing some mascara over her eyelashes.

From the view of the mirror, she saw Percy pause, frowning. "Ouch," he said, mock-hurt written over his face. "That hurt, Wise Girl."

"Shut up already," she laughed, glaring at him playfully. "Now _go."_

Percy grinned and shot her a wink, walking into the closet and calling after her, "Okie dokie, sweetheart!"

"You are extremely annoying, you know that?"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, while Annabeth was in the middle of slipping on her shoes, Livia let out a wail, and Annabeth let out a sigh, starting to stand up to go calm her down, when Percy walked out of the bathroom after going in to shave, scooping up Livia out of her crib and rocking her gently in his arms.

"Don't cry, baby," Percy murmured, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Daddy's here."

Even after so many years of watching Percy comfort their children and speak so softly to them, Annabeth was still struck speechless every time. This was a rare side of Percy, one that not many people knew existed, and Annabeth's heart clenched knowing she was one of the only few to see it.

Annabeth shook her head and smiled, putting on her other heel and standing up, walking over to the mirror to check over her appearance.

A white dress that reached mid-thigh hugged her body, a laced v-neck adorning the top portion of her body, with light brown laced heels settled on her feet. Glittering gold eyeshadow framed her eyes, giving her face a nice glow.

Percy walked up behind her, looking awfully handsome in his light blue button-up shirt and black slacks, a silver chain hanging from his neck and matching bracelet wrapped around his wrist.

"Why, Mrs. Jackson," he murmured, wrapping her in a hug from behind. He brushed a curl from her ear, speaking closely into it. "You look absolutely ravishing."

Annabeth's pulse jumped, and as she looked at the mirror, she spotted two little figures duck out of view, and she smirked, turning around.

She slid her hands up Percy's arms, who stared down at her with parted lips and dark eyes. She adjusted the collar of his shirt and leaned in to speak into his ear.

"Not right now, Mr. Jackson," she whispered. "We have little eyes watching."

Percy raised an eyebrow, slowly retracting his grip from Annabeth, and Annabeth nodded her head towards the doorway, smiling.

A slow grin slid onto Percy's face, and he quietly walked over to the doorway, standing off to the side.

Sienna and Vivian poked their heads into the room, trying to look inconspicuous, and the second they did, Percy leaped into sight, shouting, "Gotcha!"

The twins shrieked in fear and tried to crawl away, but in a second Percy was snatching them up, and he raised a stern eyebrow at his daughters. "Were you two devils spying on Mommy and me?"

Vivian let out a giggle, and she smacked her hands to her mouth to smother it, shaking her head vigorously.

"No, Daddy," Sienna said, tone serious and expression unidentifiable. Vivian didn't have the heart to lie about anything. But unfortunately for Percy and Annabeth, Sienna, as young as she may be, was an expert at lying.

"Are you lying to me?" Percy inquired, leaning his head so it touched Sienna's.

A smile slid onto the girl's bow-shaped lips. "Maybe."

Percy smiled. "I think you both should be spies when you grow up."

Vivian frowned, not liking the idea. "No, Daddy."

"Well?" He asked. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A bunny!" Sienna exclaimed, and Percy laughed.

Livia shrieked from her place on the bed, and she clapped her hands together, babbling nonsense.

"Come here, you," Annabeth said, picking her up and setting her on her hip. "It's time for you to get ready."

Livia had gotten Percy's looks, with the same bright sea green eyes, jet-black hair and lopsided smile, something that had delighted Percy to no end.

"Sienna, Vivian, stay here. I need to do your hair," Annabeth announced, heading over to the drawer where Livia's clothes were.

"Why can't Daddy do it?" Vivian questioned, pouting.

"Because if Daddy tries, he'll yank all your hair off," Annabeth replied, searching for the dress she'd bought for Livia to wear.

Vivian gasped, gaping up at Percy. "You would rip my hair off?"

Percy kissed her cheek, smiling. "Of course not, Viv. Mommy's just teasing you."

"Mommy's mean," Vivian said, hugging Percy and digging her face into his neck. She'd been Daddy's girl from the start, while Sienna tended to follow Annabeth around more.

"She is, isn't she?" Percy said, going over to the bed and setting both girls down.

Annabeth shot him a glare, only to be met with the sight of his wicked grin.

Livia reached up and grabbed a curl of Annabeth's hair, pulling slightly.

Annabeth winced, retracting the little hand from her grip on her hair. "No, baby. No hair pulling."

"Where's Caleb?" Sienna asked.

"Sleeping in his room," Annabeth answered, walking over to them and setting Livia on the bed, beginning to pull off her clothes.

"Okay!" Vivian said, sliding off the bed, Sienna right behind her.

"No, girls," Annabeth said, voice holding a warning. "Do not go wake your brother up-"

"We won't!" The twins chimed in unison, already racing out of the room.

"Girls!" Annabeth shouted in frustration. "Get back here!"

Percy chuckled, leaning to kiss Annabeth's cheek. "I'll go take care of that. You get Livvy ready."

Annabeth sighed, sitting Livvy back up as she rolled over on her side. "Thank you."

Percy simply winked at her and strode out of the room.

Livia blew a raspberry, eyes wide as she stared up at Annabeth. She gurgled incoherently, clenching and unflinching her little hands.

"What is it, my pretty girl?" Annabeth asked, a smile slipping onto her lips despite her annoyance and exhaustion. "What are you trying to tell Mommy?"

Livvy smiled toothlessly, eyes clear and bright. She didn't protest when Annabeth began to pull on the sparkling red dress, a white and red striped belt looping around the waist in a candy-cane-like pattern.

Annabeth strapped on some black boots on her little feet, and she gasped as she stepped back.

"Look at you!" She cooed, grinning. "You look so pretty!"

Livia shrieked and bounced up and down, clapping her hands.

Annabeth's heart warmed at the sight, and she grabbed her phone, snapping some quick pictures of the adorable little girl.

"But _Daddy,"_ Sienna whined as she strode into the room, Vivian at her side and Percy in tow. "We wanna go play!"

"I know, sweeheart," Percy replied. "But let Mommy do you hair first."

The twins pouted, obviously not happy with the idea of it.

"Come here," Annabeth ordered, pulling out the round vanity chair she kept in the room. "It'll be quick."

"You _always_ say that," Sienna protested, but went to sit down on the chair with a huff anyway.

"And you _always_ complain," Annabeth retorted, kissing the top of the girl's head. "Now shush. Let me concentrate."

Sienna sighed, pouting. "Okay, Mommy."

* * *

"Percy!" Annabeth called, bending to position Livia in the middle of the twins and Caleb. "Get over here!"

"A picture?" Percy said once he walked into the room, frowning. "Annabeth, come on-"

"Percy," Annabeth said, giving him a look. "Get. In. It'll be really quick, I promise."

Percy rubbed his jaw and sighed, getting behind Caleb and placing a hand on Sienna and Vivian's shoulders, who stood on each side of Caleb, with Livia sitting in front of him. "Whatever you say, Wise Girl."

Annabeth smiled, quickly snapping a few shots of her beautiful family, Christmas tree looming behind them glittering with lights and providing the perfect lighting.

"Okay," Annabeth said, smiling. "Let's go."

* * *

Piper and Jason's house, as Annabeth had already suspected, was full of screaming the second they entered.

"ISAAC," Piper was shouting as they walked into the house. "Get your sorry butt over here, mister!"

"Oh god," Annabeth said, ushering her kids inside and readjusting her hold on the pies she'd brought, along with the huge bag of presents. "What'd he do this time?"

Piper ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "He drew on the fucking wall again. I swear, I'm literally going to find every damn crayon in this house and throw it in the trash."

"Aw, don't be too hard on him, Beauty Queen," Percy said, smirking. "That comes with the price of raising your child in such a cruel environment. He needs his freedom."

Piper clucked her tongue and bent down so she was at eye-level with Sienna and Vivian. She smiled sweetly. "Girls," she said, voice like honey. "When you get home, can you do your Auntie Piper a favor and grab some paint and draw some pretty flowers all over your Daddy's motorcycle?"

Percy frowned. "Okay, wait. That's not fair-"

But Sienna and Vivian were already grinning and jumping up and down. "Okay!"

Piper smiled, opening her arms and giving them each hugs. "Good girls."

Annabeth chuckled at Percy's baffled expression, kissing him on the cheek. "When we get home, I suggest you hide that motorcycle if you want it to be free of glitter and paint."

Percy rubbed a hand over his face. "God, Piper's a bitch."

Annabeth swatted his arm but laughed. Caleb squirmed in Percy's hold, and he set him down, letting him rub at his eyes for a moment.

Piper let out a whistle. "Look at you," she said, reaching to pull at the red suspenders Annabeth had dressed him in, with a green undershirt and khaki pants. "You look so handsome!"

Caleb smiled and nodded, looking pleased with himself.

"Who's here already?" Percy asked, carefully switching his grip on the baby carrier, where Livia hid under a blanket, having fallen asleep on the car ride.

"Leo and Reyna, Nico and Will, Thalia, and Hazel and Frank. The others should be coming soon," Piper answered, picking Caleb up and grabbing the pies from Annabeth, proceeding to walk in the direction of the kitchen. "Everyone's in the living room!"

"Do you need any help?" Annabeth called after her.

Piper shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks!"

Percy shrugged, looping an arm around Annabeth's waist and leading them into the living room, where various sounds of shrieks and laughter and the occasional profanity being shouted filled the room.

"Percy!" Leo greeted once they entered, a manic smile on his face. "Long time no see, man!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Leo, I literally saw you yesterday."

"Still!" Leo persisted, and he bounced the one year old girl in his arms, who stared at Percy and Annabeth with wide eyes, drool dribbling down the side of her mouth.

"Hi, Cristina," Annabeth cooed, grabbing the little girl's hand and shaking it gently.

Cristina blew a raspberry at them, her dark eyes glittering and curly brown hair pulled up into a ponytail.

Sienna and Vivian shrieked excitedly when they spotted Evelyn and Isaac, both playing with toys on a blanket set up in a corner, and before Annabeth could say anything, they were already racing across the living room to join them.

Reyna sidled up next to Leo, raising an eyebrow at both of them. "What took you guys so long?"

Percy nudged Annabeth, smirking. "This one decided it'd be nice to spend two hours pampering herself and leaving the rest of us out to die."

Annabeth shrugged, shooting him a look of indifference. "Then I guess I'll go change into something more comfortable," she said, starting to walk out of the room. "Because I brought some sweatpants and a shirt I can change in to-"

"No," Percy said, his hands shooting out to grab her waist and pull her to him. "No, you look absolutely fine. No need to change."

"You're sure?" Annabeth asked, fighting a smile. "Because I can right now-"

Percy nuzzled his face into her neck. "No," he muttered, his lips brushing against her skin. "I like you in this."

Reyna sneered at him, rolling her eyes. "Percy, you're an animal."

Percy grinned cheekily at her, winking. "Annabeth brings that out in me."

Annabeth elbowed Percy and stepped away from him, frowning. "Watch your tongue, Jackson." She turned to Reyna. "Accompany me while I go say hi to the others, would you? I'd rather not to do it with an animal."

Reyna grinned wickedly. "Gladly." She reached for Cristina, who giggled and let herself be drawn from Leo's grip and into her mother's arms.

As she walked away to greet the rest of their crazy family, she heard Percy spluttering behind her and Leo saying something, only to have Percy sigh in response.

"Annabeth!" Hazel exclaimed, standing up and hugging the blonde after she'd set the bag of presents down by the tree, where a bunch of other huge bags occupied the space. "It's so good to see you! You look gorgeous!"

"Thank you, Hazel," Annabeth said, smiling warmly at the young woman, who was dressed in a mustard yellow sweater dress, glittering present-shaped earrings dangling from her ears. "You look wonderful as well."

"Hey, Annabeth," Frank said, coming up behind Hazel to hug Annabeth. "Where are your kids?"

Annabeth smiled tiredly. "The twins are right over there with Evelyn and Isaac, Percy has Livvy, and God knows where Piper has my son."

"He's fine," Hazel laughed. "Piper can't do too much damage."

"It's Isaac she's got it in for," Frank chuckled, shaking his head.

"Poor kid," Annabeth said, looking over to where her daughters and her cousins played, playing peacefully. "Let's hope their contentment isn't disrupted."

"I know," Hazel said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear and wincing slightly. "Last time was bad."

"We had to literally pry them apart," Reyna said, frowning as she bounced Cristina up and down on her hip.

The last time the family had seen each other, all the children had been playing together in a rather pleasant manner, only to have that tranquility end when Isaac had accidentally pulled Sienna's hair. Sienna was outraged, and had proceeded to lunge at Isaac and pummel him with her little fists, and a fight ensued.

Of course, Thalia and Nico placed bets on who would win.

Percy and Jason had gotten a kick or two in the face when they tried to practically peel them off one another.

Thankfully, Sienna and Isaac were okay now.

"And Athena?" Frank asked.

Annabeth gave an apologetic smile. "She couldn't make it. She's at a hotel in San Francisco for a board meeting in two days. She wishes you all a merry Christmas, though."

Hazel smiled, nodding in understanding. "And to her as well."

"Hey, Annie," Thalia greeted with a cheeky grin, slinging an arm around the blonde, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hi Thalia," Annabeth said, smiling. "What were you up to?"

Thalia clucked her tongue. "You know, I made the mistake of going into the kitchen to help out Piper with the food, because I'm so kind-" Frank snorted at this, "-but Caleb started crying and made Piper drop a whole spoon into the broccoli soup, and she's currently trying to look for it as we speak."

"Wonderful," Reyna muttered, shaking her head.

Annabeth frowned. "Is Caleb okay?"

Thalia nodded over at Percy, who was sitting on the couch talking to Leo, Nico and Will, bouncing Caleb on his knee, who giggled happily.

"He would have not survived in that kitchen with Piper," Thalia said solemnly, shaking her head.

Annabeth snorted. "How kind of you to save my child."

"Well," Reyna said, shifting the hip she carried Cristina on. "I'm going to go help Piper before she kills anyone and blows her kitchen up again."

With that, Reyna turned and headed out of the living room, dragging Leo with her without a word, ignoring his baffled protests.

"Mommy," Sienna said, tugging at the hem of Annabeth's dress, a frown on her face. "I'm hungry."

"Yeah?" Annabeth said, kneeling. She fixed the plaid, glittering bow in Sienna's black hair. "The food will be ready soon, sweetie. Can you hold on a bit longer?"

Sienna inhaled slowly. "Yeah."

"Good girl," Annabeth said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Have you said hi to everyone?"

"Yes," the little girl said solemnly.

Thalia gasped, bending down to poke Sienna's stomach. "You little liar. You haven't said hi to me!"

Sienna grinned and threw her arms around Thalia's neck. "Hi!"

Thalia bit her arm lightly, causing the girl to shriek and giggle.

Vivian raced up to Thalia, practically throwing herself at black-haired girl.

Thalia grinned. "Hey, girlie. How are you?"

"Amazing!" Vivian replied, spreading her arms wide.

"You girls look awfully pretty," Hazel commented, smiling warmly at the twins.

"Mommy dressed us!" Sienna exclaimed, twirling in her sparkling red dress, a white ribbon laced on each shoulder. Vivian wore a same-styled dress, expect hers was green, with a matching bow pinning up her hair.

"Really?" Thalia asked. "What did your Daddy do?"

"He kissed Mommy a hundred times!" Vivian replied, giggling.

Thalia and Hazel raised an eyebrow at Annabeth, who laughed slightly, a flush creeping up her cheeks.

"You see, Annie," Thalia said, giving her a mock-disapproving look. "These poor children are surrounded with you and Kelp Head's disgusting PDA twenty-four-seven. This is exactly why you end up being pregnant so much."

"Thalia!" Hazel hissed, swatting the young woman's arm playfully.

"Mommy's preg- prengan-" Sienna tried to say, frowning as she struggled to say the word.

"What, Mommy?" Vivian asked, looking up at Annabeth with wide, sea green eyes.

"It means your Mommy keeps popping out babies!" Thalia explained, grinning.

"Th _alia!"_ Annabeth groaned. "Shut the hell up!"

Vivian slipped out of Thalia's grip and raced over to Percy, shouting as she went. "Daddy, Daddy!" She yelled. "Mommy pops out babies!"

Percy raised an eyebrow, and his lips twitched with a bemused smile. "What was that, princess?"

"Thalia, I literally hate you," Annabeth deadpanned, glaring at the laughing raven-haired girl.

"They're smart," Thalia said, shrugging. "They're bound to find out where they came from sooner or later."

"But not now!" Hazel exclaimed, cheeks a lovely shade of red.

Thalia grinned wickedly. "Oops."

"Annabeth," Jason called from across the room, now holding Vivian in his lap. He grinned. "What are you teaching your daughter?"

"It's not me!" Annabeth protested, frowning. "It's your dearest sister."

Sofie, who sat playing on the floor at Jason's feet, scowled up at him. "Daddy," she said.

"Yes?" Jason replied, wrapping his arms around Vivian and holding her close, causing the girl to laugh.

Sofie crossed her arms, pouting. "That's not your daughter."

"No?" Jason said, face set in a mock-serious frown. "Who is?"

"Me," Sofie answered firmly.

"Come here, Sofie," Percy said, holding out his arms. "I'll hold you."

"No, Daddy!" Vivian exclaimed, jumping out of Jason's grip and crashing into Percy, wrapping her arms around his neck, causing Caleb to whine from his spot on Percy's lap. "No."

Percy laughed, placing Vivian in his lap. "No, what?"

Vivian only shook her head, lips pursed.

"All right, motherfuckers!" Piper shouted, walking into the living room and scooping Sofie up into her arms. She flashed them all a grin. "Food's ready."

"Is it edible?" Nico inquired, and Will laughed beside him.

"Fuck you too," Piper replied, shooting him a look of disdain before turning to face everyone else. "Come on, children, follow Auntie Piper!"

Isaac and Evelyn shot up from their spots on the floor and raced to Piper, along with the twins and Caleb, and Piper began to jog in the direction of the dining room, the children squealing and shouting behind her.

"God, please," Nico moaned, standing up. "Let this food actually taste good and not kill any of us."

Jason laughed, standing up. "Don't worry, Neeks. Leo and Reyna helped. As long as they had a say in it, no one will end up dead."

"I have Pizza Hut on speed dial," Nico said, taking Will's hand and leading them to the dining room. "Just in case."

"Nico, don't jinx it, you bastard!" Percy called as he bent down to lift the blanket off the baby carrier, where Livia lay, blinking up at them calmly. "Hey there, gumdrop."

Percy scooped her up into his arms, and she yawned, rubbing at her eyes with a hand. Annabeth walked over to them reached up to smooth out her hair and adjust her dress.

"Oh," Hazel breathed, eyes shining. "She looks so precious!"

Livia smiled, as if understanding what Hazel was saying perfectly.

"Let's go eat," Percy said, slipping an arm around Annabeth's waist and drawing her close. "I bet you're hungry."

"Starving," Annabeth replied. "Honestly, the food could taste like utter shit and I'd still eat it."

"Pipes will be pissed if we don't," Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That woman is crazy enough to lock us all in the dining room and not let us out till we finish our food."

Percy smirked. "Keep in mind that you married that crazy woman- Jase, how do you survive?"

Jason grinned dryly. "Living in a house with you maniacs for so many years has made me immune."

Percy winked at him, his grin visceral. "Atta boy."

"Okay, gentlemen," Hazel said, sliding past them and smiling. "Enough crazy talk- let's go see what Piper's cooked up for us, shall we?"

* * *

The dining room was in chaos once they entered.

The twins were playing tag around the room, Caleb and Sofie were sitting in chairs wailing loudly, Isaac and Evelyn were in a heated argument that Thalia was trying to break up, Will and Nico were trying to get the twins to sit down, Piper was yelling nonsense and Leo and Reyna were trying in vain to place food on the table without dropping it.

"Jesus Christ," Percy muttered beside Annabeth.

"Go calm Caleb," Annabeth said. "I'll get Sienna and Vivian."

Percy nodded and walked to Caleb, kneeling beside him and rubbing his back, muttering softly into his ear until the boy's sobs turned into sniffles.

"Girls!" Annabeth called, watching as Sienna shrieked when Vivian ducked under the table to tag her. "Oh no you don't," Annabeth muttered, catching Vivian around the waist and pulling her out from under the table.

"Mommy!" Vivian whined, flailing helplessly.

"Sienna, come here," Annabeth said firmly, waving a hand.

Sienna pouted and crossed her arms, walking sullenly over to her mother.

"It's not time to play anymore," Annabeth said, looking at at both of them in the eye. "Do you understand?"

Both girls sighed, still frowning. "Okay, Mommy."

"Good," Annabeth said, pinching both their cheeks lightly. "Now come before Aunt Piper kicks us all out of her house."

She took her daughters by the hand and led them over to Percy, sitting them down so one was on each side of her, while Percy sat next to Vivian, Caleb on his other side and Livia on his lap.

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Thalia shouted, already sitting across Annabeth.

Instantly, Evelyn and Isaac stopped arguing, instead erupting into cries.

Frank sighed, going over to scoop Evelyn into his arms, her arms looped tightly around his neck, eyes bright and keen. "Thank you for that, Thalia."

Thalia grinned, leaning back in her chair, satisfied. "You're welcome, Zhang."

"What on earth?" A voice said behind them. "What is going on in here?"

Annabeth turned to see Sally Jackson at the entrance of the dining room, Poseidon at her side, frowning at the mess that was the dining room.

Isabelle, Percy's sister, smiled when she spotted them, and instantly, the twins were leaping out of their chairs to go greet their aunt and grandparents, shrieking with excitement.

"Oh!" Isabelle said, laughing as they crashed into her. "You both look adorable!"

"Don't they always," Sally said, lifting Sienna into her arms and kissing her granddaughter's cheek.

"Hello, little one," Poseidon said warmly as Vivian wrapped her arms around his legs in a hug.

"Hey, Mom," Percy greeted, standing to kiss his mother's cheek and hug his father.

Livia babbled incoherently, holding out her arms for Sally to hold her.

"Come here, darling," Sally cooed, taking Livia into her arms and holding her close.

"Ooh," Annabeth said, brushing a hand through Isabelle's effectively straightened chocolate brown hair. The twelve year old girl wore a nicely fitting plaid dress, a sparkling gold belt tied around her waist. "You look cute."

"So do you," Isabelle said, grinning brightly.

Annabeth had gotten very close to the young girl over the years, taking her out shopping and letting her spend the nights over at her house often.

"Might I ask once more," Sally said, craning her head as Livia patted her neck. "But what's going on in here?"

"We were just about to eat," Annabeth said, smiling. "But trying to settle this family down is one of the most impossible things on earth."

"Tell me about it," Poseidon said, frowning and rubbing his forehead.

"Everyone sit down right now," Piper ordered at the head of the table, holding Sofie and Isaac in her arms. "Jason Grace, get your lazy ass over here and help me!"

"Jeez, Pipes," Jason said, taking Sofie from her hold and into his arms. "What do you need help with, darling?"

Piper shot him a look of disdain. "Go in the kitchen and bring the sodas," she said. "And sit Sofie down so she can eat."

Jason kissed her cheek. "I love you."

"Yeah, well, she's looking at you like you're some dog shit on the bottom of her shoe right now, dear brother," Thalia commented from her seat at the table, checking out her fingernails lazily.

"Thalia, literally get hell out of my house," Jason said, glaring at her.

"Children," Sally said, and Annabeth swallowed down a laugh at how Sally still continued to refer to all of them as eight year olds. "Settle down. Jason, do what your wife told you to do. Thalia, please refrain from teasing your brother."

They all did as they were told, because when Sally Jackson used her stern mother-voice, even Thalia listened.

"Sally, I love you," Annabeth said, grinning at the older woman.

Sally smiled warmly. "I love you too, dear. Now, why don't we all sit? I brought the ham."

* * *

Ten minutes later, everyone was seated, eating at their heart's content.

"Oh, Christmas miracles do exist!" Nico groaned as he bit into his food. "This food is actually good."

Piper grinned in response, obviously pleased.

"Wipe that smile off your face, Beauty Queen," Leo said, smiling impishly. "If it wasn't for Rey and I, this food would be awful."

"It's tricky, Mommy," Sienna said, trying to stab at her ham with a butter knife, only to have it slide off.

"It's tricky?" Annabeth said, smiling as she grabbed a fork, replacing it with the butter knife.

"Yeah," Sienna replied, opening her mouth as Annabeth guided a piece of ham into it.

Isabelle giggled, shaking her head. "Silly girl."

Sienna beamed in response.

"Percy," Isabelle sang, squinting at her brother. "Did you get your favorite sister a present for Christmas?"

Percy grinned slyly, rolling his eyes. "You're my _only_ sister, stupid. And as for your question, we'll see how well you treat me tonight to receive that gift."

Isabelle frowned. "That is not fair."

Percy winked at her, picking up his cup filled with Coke. "Oh yes it is, dearest sibling."

Isabelle merely stuck her tongue out at him, and Percy clucked his tongue in response, shaking his fork at her. "One point deduction."

"Meanie," Isabelle replied, scowling at her older brother.

Annabeth laughed, wiping Vivian's face with a napkin after getting ranch all over it. "You two fight like five year olds. Not even the twins."

"You're such a mom, Wise Girl," Percy said. "Leave us alone."

"Fuck you," Annabeth said, covering Vivian's ears as she said it.

Percy winked in response, grinning roguishly. "When and where, gorgeous?"

"NO!" Nico shouted, scowling at both of them. "No more children from you two."

"But they make such cute babies!" Hazel said, grinning.

"Hazel," Nico said sternly. "Do not encourage them."

"Percy, please," Leo moaned, banging his head on the table. "No more!"

Percy scowled at all of them. "Quit crying. I don't see any of you pussies making a move. I actually show my wife how much I love her."

"By impregnating her every month?" Reyna said, raising an eyebrow as she bounced Cristina in her lap. "Yeah, way to show her love."

"Pregnancy is awful!" Piper groaned, glaring at Percy. "How dare you put her through that torture."

Percy gaped at them, and he looked at Annabeth, a hopeless expression on his face that made Annabeth laugh, and she shrugged. "You heard them. No more children."

Poseidon's rumbled laughter sounded from across the table, and he winked at his son, raising his cup at him. "No way out of that one, son."

Percy ran a hand through his hair, exhaling with a frown. "Damn."

Isaac, who was sitting in Piper's lap, picked up a piece of ham and flung it across the table, hitting Nico square in the face.

Thalia cackled with laughter, and she gave a fist-bump to her nephew. "Nice one."

Will smothered his laughter with a cough, and he plucked the piece of ham off Nico's lap, placing it on his plate. "You dropped something there, Neeks."

Nico glared at him, stabbing at his salad with a fork. "I hate all of you."

Will grinned, pecking him on the cheek. "You love us!"

"Okay, I'll bite," Sally said, eyes shining as she looked at the two. "When are you getting married?"

Nico choked on a piece of lettuce, and Frank patted him on the back.

"Learn how to chew your food, you animal," Thalia said, shaking her fork at him mockingly.

"Aunt Sally," Nico coughed, eyes wide as he looked over at his aunt. "Wh-what?"

"Yes!" Sally said, clapping her hands together, a bright grin on her face. "When is the wedding? You two are so adorable together!"

Nico spluttered, cheeks flushing a rosy shade, and Poseidon laughed. "Let him eat first before bombarding him with questions, dear. The poor boy doesn't know how to handle all that pressure."

"Aw, look at him!" Piper cooed, wagging Isaac's hand at him. "He's so red!"

"Piper," Nico snapped. "Go suck Jason's dick."

"I will, thank you very much," Piper retorted, sitting back and raising an eyebrow at Nico, crossing Isaac's arms over his chest.

"Change of topic!" Jason exclaimed, shooting a look at his wife and Nico. "Please refrain from using such vulgar language. We have little ears listening."

"Leo," Thalia said, smirking. "Cover your ears for a sec, will you?"

Leo gasped. "Rude. That was extremely rude."

Reyna patted his head, shooting Thalia a mock-scowl. "Thalia," she chastised. "You know how sensitive he is! Do not speak to him that way, or else we'll have waterworks worse than the children's."

Leo dug his hands into his neck, groaning. "You women are vicious."

Cristina copied Reyna's movements and reached over to aggressively pat Leo's head, muttering incoherently.

Leo smiled at his daughter. "Thank you, _corazoncita_ ," he said, lifting the girl into his lap. He shot Reyna and Thalia a glare. "At least someone loves me."

"That's not love, Leo," Percy commented, scooping some mash potatoes onto his plate and grinning dryly. "It's pity. Your own daughter thinks you're pathetic."

"That's it," Leo said, standing up. He gave them all a look of indifference. "I am going to go spend some quality time with my daughter- the _only_ human being in this room that will not bully me."

Reyna smiled into her cup. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Leonidas."

Leo huffed, turning and walking out the room with every inch of dramatics he could muster.

"Daddy," Caleb said, grabbing his fork upside down and stabbing into his ham with the end of it.

"I'm going, buddy," Percy said, grabbing the fork from his little hand and placing a piece of ham on it, guiding it into his son's mouth.

"Mmm," Caleb said, smiling and nodding his head.

Percy chuckled, scruffing up his son's hair.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed, leaning over to swat his arm. "Don't mess up his hair."

"Bad Daddy," Vivian said, looking up at her father accusingly as she ate some rice, all of it falling off the utensil before she put it in her mouth.

"What Viv said," Annabeth added, fighting a smile.

"Annabeth," Isabelle said. "When can I stay at your house?"

Annabeth helped Sienna sip at her drink, being careful not to spill it on herself. If she did, Sienna would want to change immediately, not being able to stand getting her clothes dirty. "Well, since we're spending the night here, you could too, and the next morning we'll just take you to our house to spend a couple of days there."

"Okay!" Isabelle agreed, grinning excitedly.

Percy scrunched up his nose at his sister playfully. "I'm going have to deal with you for god-knows how long?"

"No," Annabeth replied calmly. "Because you will be spending your nights outside in the dog-houses."

"Excuse me?" Percy protested, eyebrows creasing together.

Isabelle grinned. "I approve of this idea."

Annabeth and Isabelle high-fived, and as Percy spluttered incoherently, Vivian reached up and patted his back, eyes sympathetic. "It's okay, Daddy. Doggies will let you."

Percy sighed. "If your Mommy won't, then I sure hope so, Viv."

* * *

"NICO!" Thalia growled from across the board, flinging the die across the room. "You piece of shit!"

Nico leaned against the couch, idly counting fake paper money. "Hm?"

"You absolute asshat," Thalia snarled. "I cannot _believe_ you just did that."

"You mean, buy that property?" Nico inquired, voice a drawl. "Thalia- please don't start whining about -"

In seconds, Thalia had grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and was smacking Nico with it, sending him toppling sideways. She pounced on him, pressing the pillow right in his face.

"Thalia!" Will chided, trying to yank the pillow from her grip. "I prefer my boyfriend alive!"

"Nico di Angelo," Thalia seethed, shaking the pillow roughly against his face. "That property was _mine,_ you spoiled pissworm!"

The children sat around the board game, all watching with wide eyes as Will tried to force Thalia off of Nico, who yelled muffled profanities from under the pillow.

"Jesus, Thalia, you're heavy," Will said as he placed his hands under her arms, dragging her off of a flailing Nico.

"Okay!" Hazel exclaimed, coming over to pick up the board game. "That's enough Monopoly for one night."

"Hazel!" Thalia shouted. "Nico _cheated!"_

Nico sat up, hair rumpled and eyes accusatory. "And you almost killed me! Which is worse, kids?"

"Cheating," the kids replied firmly.

"No, guys," Nico moaned as Thalia howled with laughter. "Wrong answer."

"Who wants cookies?' Sally said as she came into the room, holding a plate full of blue chocolate chip cookies.

Percy jumped out of his seat, almost knocking Livia off his lap, who shrieked in protest.

"Percy!" Annabeth chided, even though she knew he wasn't listening. "Be careful!"

"Mom," he said, kissing his mother's cheek. "You are the absolute best."

Sally laughed, raising a stern eyebrow at him. "Hold on, mister- you only get two. Everyone else can have as many as they please."

Percy scowled. "First I get thrown into the dog house, and now I'm deprived of my cookies? Mom- I'm hurt."

"My poor baby," Sally cooed, reaching up to pinch his cheek.

"Piper!" Leo shouted. "Where are the Wii controllers?"

"Look for them, dipshit!" Piper hollered back.

"Jason," Leo moaned as he knelt on the floor. "Why is your wife so mean?"

Jason sighed, bouncing Sofie on his knee, who shrieked in delight. "I don't know, man."

"His sex game is probably weak," Thalia said, finally having calmed down.

Jason gave his sister a look of disdain. "It's better than yours," Jason shot back.

Thalia snorted. "Really? Not even Isaac would give me such a lame response." The said boy came racing into the room and Thalia lunged at him, catching him and sweeping him into her arms, causing him to whine in protest.

"Isaac," she said, turning him around and grinning. "Show me the face."

Isaac instantly scrunched up his face, squinting and puckering his lips, and Thalia laughed in delight.

Jason rubbed his forehead. "Did you teach him that?"

"Of course I did!" Thalia said,a look of pride on her face as she turned back to face Isaac. "Good job, little dude."

"Found them!" Leo sang, raising the controllers in the air. He grinned impishly. "Now- who wants to play?"

"Me!" Thalia shouted, shooting up from her seat on the floor and letting Isaac go, who ran shrieking without a purpose from the room.

Leo winked. "Bring it on, Pinecone Face."

Jason turned Sofie around to face him, and she reached a little hand out to grab his glasses, and he reached for her hands, covering them with his own. "Sofie, can you say- hello?"

"Hello!" Sofie replied.

"Can you say... Sofie?" Jason asked, leaning his face towards hers.

"No!" The little girl replied delightfully.

"So, Annabeth," Will said, sitting across from her as she sat beside Percy, idly running her fingers through his hair as he talked to Poseidon, who'd taken Livvy in his lap as she curiously pulled at his beard. "How's the modeling business going?"

Annabeth smiled. "It's going fairly well. I gotta admit though, after having four kids, its getting more difficult to keep my body in shape. I've gotta watch my diet more."

Will nodded. "You have put on a little more weight since the last time I saw you. But its a healthy kind."

"Yes," Annabeth sighed, bending to pluck a decoration from Caleb's hands as he aimed to throw it, and he frowned accusingly at her. "Percy and I do make sure to work out everyday, though."

"And what do the kids do in the meantime?" Will inquired, reaching out to smooth Caleb's hair.

"It's weird, but the twins like to watch us while we workout," Annabeth replied, shaking her head. "And they absolutely love it when Percy puts them on his back while he does push-ups. Livia and Caleb are usually asleep while we workout, since we do it in the morning."

"The girls are early birds?" Will asked, cracking a smile.

"Sienna is," watching carefully as the twins and Evelyn ran screaming out of the room, being chased by Isaac and Isabelle. "Vivian is not a morning person. Sienna is the one dragging her out of bed to follow Percy and I to the workout room."

"Reminds me of Nico," Will said, a smile on his lips as he snuck a look at his boyfriend, who was currently cheering at Leo to "win the shit out of Thalia," and Annabeth caught the look of adoration in Will's eyes. "He loathes mornings."

Annabeth smiled softly. "Seriously, Will," she said quietly. "You guys love each other so much you're practically married already. Who's gonna get down on one knee first?"

Will exhaled, running a hand through his blonde curls, blue eyes glittering. "We've talked about it before, jokingly, but I just don't know whether he's going to do it or I should. It's impossible to tell with him."

Annabeth put her hand over his, smiling reassuringly. "It'll happen," she said, squeezing his hand. "Just give it time. I'm sure Nico is already planning it as we speak."

Will smiled. "I hope so." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And what about you? Thinking about having anymore children?"

Annabeth looked over at Percy, who was making faces at Livia, making the girl giggle uncontrollably, and Annabeth felt her heart compress pleasantly, and she turned back to Will, smiling and shaking her head. "I think we're good for now," she said. "I don't think we'll have another one any time soon."

Will nodded, eyes shining. "You're at a good place right now. I'm so happy everything worked out for you guys."

Annabeth suppressed a shiver, past memories lingering at the back of her mind. No matter how much she'd ever try to force them away, they were there, haunting and pestering her.

But all they did was make Annabeth so thankful about the life she had now, married to Percy with four beautiful children, constantly surrounded by his crazy family.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am too, Will," she said, voice soft. "I am too."

Suddenly, a loud crash resounded throughout the room, making both Will and Annabeth jump.

All eyes went to the broken vase that stood in the corner of the room, smashed completely, and at the floor right next to it, a Wii controller.

Leo gaped at it, and Thalia was snickering, her controller strapped onto her wrist.

Piper barely looked up from where she played with Sofie as she said, "You broke it- you buy it."

Jason sighed, standing up to smack Leo on the back of his head, emitting a yelp from the curly haired man. "You're an idiot."

"Honestly, they've done worse," Frank said, shaking his head.

Reyna cradled a sleeping Cristina in her arms, and she raised an eyebrow at Leo, eyes flashing a warning. "No way in hell are you using my money to replace that."

"Got it," Leo squeaked.

"Do not let the children get near the vase," Hazel said, standing up from where she sat next to Frank. "Where's your broom, Piper?"

"It's in the closet in the kitchen," Piper replied. "And let Leo clean it up. He's had enough experience of being an idiot and breaking things to know how to clean the mess up."

Leo sighed and walked out of the room to retrieve the broom, muttering to himself as he did.

Thalia grinned, facing the rest of them and holding up her remote. "Who else wants to play?"

"Since Leo's a loser and completely failed me," Nico said, standing up. "I will."

"There's a strap on the controller for a reason," Piper said, glaring at Nico as he retrieved the controller that Leo had thrown. "Use it."

"I'm not stupid," Nico replied, rolling his eyes.

"Says the one that doesn't know how to work a pair of handcuffs," Will called.

Percy laughed, the others stifling their laughter as well. "Oh shit."

Nico turned bright red. "Will!"

Hazel and Sally looked flustered, and Sally frowned at Will. "Will Solace."

"Don't worry, Mom," Percy said. "The children don't know what that even means." He offered Nico a wicked grin, winking. "Annabeth and I could show you exactly how they work, Nico. We've had enough practice."

Annabeth scowled and smacked Percy on the arm as he laughed along with Poseidon. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "And he wonders why he's being thrown into the dog house."

"Before this conversation gets any worse," Sally said, standing and frowning at her son, "I'm going to get more cookies."

"I'll help you," Hazel said, following after Sally and smacking Percy sharply on the head as she went.

"One dirty joke and I get treated like I'm an animal?" Percy said, rubbing his head as he frowned.

Reyna opened her mouth to say something, before Percy cut her off. "Rey," he said warningly. "Don't you dare."

"Thalia," Nico said, rubbing his forehead. "Please get this started before any of these idiots make another stupid comment."

Thalia smirked. "I rather enjoyed that, though."

"Aw," Piper cooed. "Poor Nico. He can't face the fact that he doesn't know how to get down in sexy time with Will."

"Sexy time?" Leo repeated as he came into the room, holding the broom. He grinned. "Looks like I came in at the right time."

Reyna raised an eyebrow at her husband, unimpressed. "Get sweeping, Repair Boy."

Leo sulked, walking over to the corner to begin sweeping up the mess.

Poseidon scratched his head, looking confused. "Sexy time?" He asked, looking at Percy. "Is that what you call that now?"

Percy snorted. "That's what _Piper_ calls it."

"Doesn't that sound so much more enticing?" Piper asked, grinning.

Poseidon frowned. "I'll need confirmation from Sally," he said, standing and handing Livia over to Percy. "Let me go ask her."

"Dad, what the fuck?" Percy said, looking appalled.

Poseidon merely winked, clapping his Percy on his shoulder. "Oh son," he said, shaking his head. "There's still so much I have not taught you when it comes to women."

"Better teach him quick, Poseidon," Annabeth said, smirking and leaning back on the couch, propping her elbow up on the back of it. "Because I don't think Percy and I will last if he goes through the same boring routine."

Poseidon laughed in response, ruffling Percy's hair before turning and leaving the room.

Percy looked at Annabeth, frowning with a look of hurt on his face. "You're not serious, are you?"

Annabeth leaned over and kissed Percy on the lips, pulling back with a grin. "Of course I am."

"No!" Leo said from where he swept up the broken shards of the vase, looking horrified as he stared at Percy and Annabeth. "Percabeth can't break up!"

Percy choked. "Perca- _what?"_

"Oh yeah," Annabeth said, laughing. "That's what my fans have appeased to calling us when all those celebrity youtube channels post videos of us out together that the paparazzi catch."

Piper laughed delightfully. "That's awesome."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows at Leo. "Leo- how do _you_ know about that?"

"He watches those videos at night when he thinks I'm sleeping," Reyna replied.

"Reyna!" Leo said, voice a whine. "You can't lie to me like that!"

"Oh, honey," Reyna said, laughing. "I've got so much blackmail on you, you can't even imagine."

Frank scratched the top of his head, frowning. "I don't think that's how marriages work."

"Yeah," Percy agreed, leaning into Annabeth as she ran her nails through his scalp. "But Reyna's insane."

"And you're a pig," she replied smoothly. "So I guess we're even."

"Mommy!" Sienna cried as she came into the room, bouncing up and down. "When Santa bring our presents?"

Annabeth paused her ministrations to hoist Sienna into her lap. "Until Christmas comes."

Sienna frowned. "When Christmas come?"

"In just one hour," Percy answered. "Then, after you go to sleep, in the morning, your presents will be under the tree."

"Really?" Sienna asked, grinning.

"Mhm," Annabeth said as she kissed her cheek.

Sienna looked at Annabeth for a moment. "You have makeup?"

"No," Annabeth lied, smiling.

"Hm," Sienna said, pausing for a second before swinging her arms around Annabeth's neck and attacking her face with kisses.

Annabeth laughed, allowing Sienna to place sloppy kisses all over her face.

"Oh, how precious!" Sally exclaimed as she walked into the room, both her and Hazel holding plates full of blue cookies.

"How many did you make, Mom?" Percy asked, picking up a cookie to hand to Caleb, who had a hand held out for one.

"Me too!" Sienna said, bouncing off Annabeth's lap, satisfied with her kisses, and holding out a hand for a cookie.

"Here you go," Sally said, handing her granddaughter a blue cookie.

"Make sure they don't grab anymore," Annabeth said to Sallly, shaking her head. "They've eaten too many already. That's why all the kids are still so full of energy."

Sally smiled. "Got it."

"Hey, Sally," Leo said, finally having cleaned up the mess and sitting on the floor by Reyna's feet, which Annabeth thought was very unwise of him, since Reyna could kick him at any moment he said the wrong thing. And judging by his grin, he would end up getting a good one to the head. "Did Poseidon ask you about sexy time?"

Sally looked confused. "My goodness- what?"

Reyna kicked Leo in the head, her heel digging into his arm as she did so.

"Ow!" Leo protested, pushing her foot away.

Reyna gave Sally a shake of her head. "Ignore him, Sally."

"Nico, move, goddamn!" Thalia shouted, swinging her arm as the tennis ball on the screen came towards her character.

"Bitch, you move!" Nico snapped, flicking his wrist that held the controller.

Annabeth ran a finger over Percy's hair. "We're going to have to end up prying them apart again, aren't we?"

Percy craned his head, lightly nipping at Annabeth's skin, and she gripped his hair tightly as he did, making a roguish smile curl his lips. "Yes, we are."

* * *

"You guys!" Hazel exclaimed, checking the time on her phone. "Just two minutes!"

"Already?" Jason asked, holding Sofie in his arms, who'd already fallen asleep.

"Ooh, yay!" Piper cheered, standing up and pulling Thalia up with her. "Everyone, get ready."

"Ugh, Piper," Thalia groaned, letting her head fall on the other girl's shoulder.

"Get up!" Piper snapped, grabbing Leo and Nico's hands and pulling them up.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, slapping a hand on Percy's thigh and standing up. "Before Piper rips your arm out of it's socket."

Percy sighed and stood up. "I'm both proud and scared that she might still remember that maneuver."

Annabeth laughed, lacing her fingers through his. "Sienna, Viv, come over here," she called, beckoning the twins over from where they skipped around the huge Christmas tree set up in the corner of the living room.

The two girls came racing over to their parents, wrapping their little arms around them.

Percy scooped Caleb into his arms, who tiredly rubbed at his eyes. "Hi Daddy," he muttered, placing his hands on Percy's chest.

Percy smiled. "Hey, buddy."

"One minute!" Hazel shouted, grinning at Evelyn, who pushed her straight black hair out of her face and smiled.

"You think Livvy's okay?" Annabeth asked Percy. They'd set the girl to sleep in Sofie's room after she'd knocked out in Percy's arms.

Percy pressed a kiss to Annabeth's temple. "She's fine, Wise Girl."

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, FUCKERS!" Thalia shouted, spreading her arms and grinning wildly.

"Jesus, Thalia!" Will chastised, but he was grinning, and he crashed into Nico, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Christmas!" Vivian shouted, bouncing up and down and beaming.

"Merry Christmas, girls," Annabeth said, kneeling to hug her daughters tightly.

Choruses of "merry Christmas" filled the room as everyone went around, hugging each other and smiling.

Annabeth, after hugging everyone, had stepped back to the doorway, observing this crazy, chaotic and joyful family, with profanities being thrown left and right and shouts ringing the air as either Thalia or Reyna hit someone, with the kids running around by their feet, smiling and shrieking, and Annabeth's heart swelled.

She loved all of them.

She was so busy watching them all with a smile on her face that she didn't notice Percy come up to her.

"Hey," he said softly, catching her by the waist and drawing her to him.

"Hi," Annabeth said, smiling up at him.

"What's on your mind, Wise Girl?" He murmured, his sea green eyes bright as he looked down at her.

"I'm just so happy," Annabeth replied honestly. She looked towards the room, where the twins hugged Caleb, his smiling face mushed between the two girls. "Look at them. They're so happy right now."

"You make that all possible, Annabeth," Percy said softly, eyes tender as he looked at her. "You're amazing, did you know that?"

Annabeth wound her arms around his neck, her heart pounding in the way that only Percy could make it beat. "Merry Christmas, Seaweed Brain."

Percy smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Merry Christmas, Wise Girl."

"Finally!" Piper shouted from inside the room, and Annabeth was suddenly aware of how everyone was watching them. "They're under the mistletoe!"

Percy and Annabeth both looked up, and sure enough, a sprig of the plant hung from the doorway.

"Well?" Reyna pressed, an arm propped up on Leo's shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at Percy.

"Kiss her!" Isabelle cheered, grinning happily.

Percy looked down at Annabeth, and a smile that sent her blood rushing curled across his lips. "Don't mind if I do."

He pressed his lips against Annabeth's, a hollers filled the room, making Percy grin against her mouth as he deepened the kiss, strong arms pressing her tightly against him- against the man she loved so much.

Annabeth had never felt so happy.

* * *

 **Here you are, everyone!**

 **I know this is super late, and I apologize profusely, but I didn't imagine itd end up being so long.**

 **Oh well.**

 **But I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was so much fun writing about them being all together again. I missed it.**

 **And I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed it to its fullest. I wish you all a happy New Year's as well! I love you guys and I thank you for all the support you've given me. You're all absolutely amazing x**

 **I can only imagine all your reactions after you saw the notification from Sworn off Love**

 **Im living for it**

 **And *cough cough I might be planning just one more one-shot after SOL as I write this cough cough***

 **Also, (SPOILER TO THOSE WHO HAVENT READ LORD OF SHADOWS YET) Livia Blackthorn, this was also a tribute to you**

 **~Kat xxxxx**


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